Leon A. "Lee" Cote Jr.

Granby, CT – Leon A. "Lee" Cote, Jr., 91, died peacefully on Monday December 11, 2023. Born March 6, 1932 in Fitchburg MA, he was the son of the late Leon A. Cote, Sr. and Lottie Wiswell, and the loving husband of Marcelyn (Merrill) Cote. Lee was a 1949 graduate of Fitchburg High School, and attended Becker Junior College from 1950 to 1951, before joining the United States Air Force in 1951. He served in the Air Force in New York, Colorado, Alaska and Minnesota, working in B-29 armament and munitions procurement, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant before being honorably discharged in 1955. After leaving the Air Force, Lee attended evening classes at Northeastern University. Lee was a charter member and Key Man of the greater Foxboro (MA) Jaycees, and a member of the International Lumberman's Association. He worked for the Blanchard Lumber Company and MacMillan-Bloedel Lumber Company in Massachusetts and Connecticut for nearly forty years. He and his wife Lynn have been long-time members of the South Congregational Church of Granby, which is how he became involved with Habitat for Humanity, working on several construction projects in the Greater Hartford region over the years. Lee was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox, passing this passion on to his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. More recently, Lee and Lynn had become avid fans of the UConn Huskies Women's basketball team. It was not unusual to find Lee at the sidelines of local youth baseball games, track and cross-country meets and bicycle races, cheering for his grandkids and great-grandkids. He loved to spend time with his wife and kids at the family cottage on Sebec Lake in Dover-Foxcroft Maine. Lee leaves behind his beloved wife of 69 years, Lynn; his daughter Kimberly Sharp and husband Jeffrey of Granby; his sons Gregory Cote and wife Melinda of Kickapoo IL; Gary Cote of Granby; and Jeffrey Cote and wife Veronica of Burlington; his grandchildren Christopher Cote, Andrew Cote, Julia Cote, Beth Cote, Mike Cote, Derek Cote, Wyatt Cote and Adam Walker; and great-grandchildren Patrick Cote, Addison Cote, Owen Cote, Victoria Tardif and Kevin Tardif. He was pre-deceased by his parents, and his older sister Celia (Cote) Dingee. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Lee's family from 1:00PM to 2:30PM Sunday December 17, 2023 at the Hayes-Huling & Carmon Funeral Home, 364 Salmon Brook St, Granby CT 06035. A memorial service will be held at the funeral home, immediately following visiting hours. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Granby Ambulance Association, 1 Pegville Road, Granby, CT 06035, Habitat for Humanity, 322 West Lamar Street Americus, Georgia 31709 or the American Cancer Society, American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741. Please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com for directions and to leave condolences for the family.