Long time Vallejo resident Lee Wingfield passed away on January 7th, 2026 in San Luis Obispo, CA at the age of 89, one week shy of his 90th birthday. He was a resident of Vallejo nearly his entire life. After being born in Urbana, OH in 1936, his family moved to Vallejo in 1940 when he was 4. He was a resident of Vallejo until 2023, when he was relocated to a care facility in San Luis Obispo. His parents Al and Hazel, and sisters Caroline and Shirley, all passed before him. He is survived by sons William and James, as well as grandchildren Katie, Alec and Alchemy.
Lee graduated from Vallejo HS in 1954, where he studied photography and played basketball under Ted Gebhardt. He then attended Vallejo Junior College where he majored in photography under Hal Reeves and minored in music under Dave Froelich. He also played basketball under coach Stan McWilliams and tennis under John Katz.
In 1958 he served in the US Army for two years at Fort Lewis, WA. After that he was a milkman for Red Top Dairy, worked for 15 years at Montgomery Ward's as an appliance salesman, and in 1995 retired from Mare Island Naval Shipyard after a twenty year career as a warehouseman.
Lee's greatest love was music and in his lifetime wrote over 60 songs, the most notable being "Closin' The Shipyard Blues" which sold over 300 copies and was on display at the Mare Island Naval Museum for many years. He also wrote and performed a series of pop songs titled "Songs To Get Divorced By", and was a vocalist and guitarist.
In 1996 he became music director at the First Church of Religious Science in Vallejo and remained there until he retired in 2015. He had written 35 New Thought spiritual songs for this church during his tenure.
He was very athletic nearly his entire life, running the Bay To Breakers race in SF as well as the Channel-To-Lake run in Vallejo multiple times. He loved fishing, whether in the Mare Island Strait or in the Sierra Nevadas. And cherished later years with his golf buddies at Blue Rock Springs. Those activities often concluded at the bar at The Wharf with an Old-Fashioned.
Lee was also a savvy satirical writer, well known for his contributions to the Opinions page of the Vallejo Times-Herald, and was issued the Vallejo Writer Of The Year award in 1993, by the Vallejo Arts Council.
Lee Lived a life full of love, music and laughter, and he will be dearly missed by all who loved him so much.
Lee graduated from Vallejo HS in 1954, where he studied photography and played basketball under Ted Gebhardt. He then attended Vallejo Junior College where he majored in photography under Hal Reeves and minored in music under Dave Froelich. He also played basketball under coach Stan McWilliams and tennis under John Katz.
In 1958 he served in the US Army for two years at Fort Lewis, WA. After that he was a milkman for Red Top Dairy, worked for 15 years at Montgomery Ward's as an appliance salesman, and in 1995 retired from Mare Island Naval Shipyard after a twenty year career as a warehouseman.
Lee's greatest love was music and in his lifetime wrote over 60 songs, the most notable being "Closin' The Shipyard Blues" which sold over 300 copies and was on display at the Mare Island Naval Museum for many years. He also wrote and performed a series of pop songs titled "Songs To Get Divorced By", and was a vocalist and guitarist.
In 1996 he became music director at the First Church of Religious Science in Vallejo and remained there until he retired in 2015. He had written 35 New Thought spiritual songs for this church during his tenure.
He was very athletic nearly his entire life, running the Bay To Breakers race in SF as well as the Channel-To-Lake run in Vallejo multiple times. He loved fishing, whether in the Mare Island Strait or in the Sierra Nevadas. And cherished later years with his golf buddies at Blue Rock Springs. Those activities often concluded at the bar at The Wharf with an Old-Fashioned.
Lee was also a savvy satirical writer, well known for his contributions to the Opinions page of the Vallejo Times-Herald, and was issued the Vallejo Writer Of The Year award in 1993, by the Vallejo Arts Council.
Lee Lived a life full of love, music and laughter, and he will be dearly missed by all who loved him so much.
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