Gim E. Lee

Gim E. Lee, 96 years old, of Poughkeepsie, passed away peacefully on March 28, 2025, with his family by his side. Gim was born in 1929 in Canton, China. During the China/Japan War he left China with his mother, sailing at night on a raft boat to reach Hong Kong. His mother sent him off alone on a Russian ship to West Canada, took a train to East Canada and then to New York City, and finally to Bloomfield, New Jersey to be with his father.
Gim graduated from Bloomfield High School where he played varsity football and fencing, where his fencing team won the state championship. Gim joined the Army during the Korean War and volunteered to take his basic training in Hawaii. He was returned to Virginia for Officers Training School to accept an officer's commission. After he was discharged he used the GI-Bill to earn an engineering degree from RPI. Upon graduation he was offered a position at IBM's Research Laboratory in Poughkeepsie. When the Research Laboratory moved to Westchester, he stayed in the Poughkeepsie Development Laboratory. Gim enjoyed 34 years with IBM where he spent half of his time in technical/staff assignments and the other half in management before he took an early buyout in retirement.
Gim was enthusiastic in tennis, golf, racketball, and karate where he earned a black belt. He designed a tennis court with 10 foot fences approved by the board and contracted for construction for a neighbor. He enjoyed volunteering for the AARP Tax Preparation program for 20 years.
Gim married Maxine in 1960 and they raised four children together. They built a custom home in 1965 designed by his fraternity brother on 2.5 acres of raw land in Poughkeepsie. Maxine predeceased him in November of 2017. He is survived by his daughter Diana (James) and grandchildren Keith and Kelsey; daughter, Susan; son, Jeff (Tracey); and daughter, Cynthia (Steven), and grandsons, Johnathan (Hailey), Joseph, Benjamin, and Tommy; and great granddaughter, Orianna. He was predeceased by his parents and two sisters.
Viewing will be on Thursday, April 3, 2025 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm at St. John's Lutheran Church, 55 Wilbur Blvd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603. A service will follow at 1:00pm. There will be a private burial ceremony immediately following at the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery on route 9 in Poughkeepsie. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Gim, please visit our Tree Store.