Lee Christopher Erskine

Christopher Erskine Lee, 49, of Charlottesville, Virginia, died on Friday, December 4, 2015. Born June 27, 1966 in Charlottesville, he was the son of Frances J. Lee-Vandell, Robert E. Lee, Jr. and his wife, Barbara Hough Lee.He is beloved and is survived by his parents; his loving wife, Arlene, and children, Thomas, Meredith and William and close family friend, Stephany Lazo; his sister, Alletta Lee Bode-Griss; step-brothers, Ben and Chris Hough; as well as many nieces and nephews.Chris is a graduate of Woodberry Forest School '84 and Cornell University '88.  He is the fourth generation of his family to serve at R.E. Lee Companies in Charlottesville, beginning his career as a laborer and ultimately serving as CEO as an honorable professional until the time of his death.  He is also a Board Member and Officer in the Kanawha-Gauley Coal and Coke Co. in West Virginia.  Chris was very passionate about serving the community that he grew up in and gave back by volunteering in several community organizations in Central Virginia. The most prominent are the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area and the Shenandoah chapter of the American Red Cross. He dedicated himself to the local and state business community, pioneering new directions through the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, Associated General Contractors of Virginia, and Lead Virginia.  He is a past Board Chair of the Associated General Contractors of Virginia and of the Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce. Chris is a former member of the Vestry of St. Paul's Memorial Church, trustee, and Sunday school teacher.  In addition, his commitment to the community is reflected through service on committees too numerous to name.Most important to Chris was spending time with his wife and children. He shared with his sons a love of sports and outdoor activities such as soccer and cycling. With his daughter, he shared a love of puzzles and card games. He also enjoyed skiing, golfing, and foosball with the whole family. He was supportive and did everything in his ability to enable their success. He instilled in his children the importance of integrity, generosity, and thinking for themselves.  He will be dearly missed by his family, friends, colleagues and co-workers.A service will be held on Thursday, December 10, 2015, 11 a.m. at St. Paul's Memorial Church. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. There will be a family burial.In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to United Way – Thomas Jefferson Area or Red Cross- Charlottesville.