John W. Lee

John William Lee III was born April 1, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, to Thelma Eileen Bryant & John William Lee, Jr. He passed away on November 11, 2025 at the age of 82, after a long battle with heart disease. He spent his earliest years in Dayton, Ohio and the majority of his formative years in rural North Carolina near Roaring Gap, raised by his maternal grandparents, Mabel and Jesse Bryant, who instilled in him the importance of education. He graduated as a National Merit Scholar from Sparta High School in Sparta, NC.

He earned a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1965, his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1968, and later an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown Law, which he received while clerking on the U.S. Tax Court. John cherished his association with UVA Law and served on the Virginia Tax Conference for many years starting in 1973.

John was a Professor of Law in Tax, Emeritus, at William & Mary Law School, where he joined the faculty in 1981 and remained until his retirement in 2015. He authored numerous influential law review articles that impacted the tax code. Prior to his academic tenure, he had a successful career as a partner at the law firm of Hirschler, Fleischer, Weinberg, Cox & Allen in Richmond, Virginia.

He loved the mountains, reading, swimming, and biking, encouraging his children to join him in the latter for many years. In recent years, he expressed that his happiest times were those spent with his family, especially his grandchildren.

In his later years, John rekindled a close relationship with his father. They had wonderful times together despite the time apart, as they were very alike and loved to tell family stories. Through this reconnection, he also came to know many of his siblings and enjoyed the large Lee family reunion in Indiana every summer.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John William Lee, Jr., and Thelma Eileen Bryant; his sister, Mary Lee; and brothers Ed Lee, Jim Lee, and Harold Hudson. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Woodward Lee; his first wife, Sharon Levine Lee; sisters Joy Dean Lee, Joyce Lee, Trish Lee, Rebecca Lee, and Denise Lee; brothers Joe Lee, Bob Hudson, Mike Lee, Paul Lee, Rick Lee, and John Aaron Lee; children Joshua Barco Lee, Mara Naomi Lee (Gretel Clarke), Benjamin David Lee, Daniel Joseph Lee, Samuel Jesse Lee (Mara Felman), Susannah Woodward Lee (José Araque Rojas), and Sarah Ambrose Lee (Spencer Bialt); and grandchildren Lola, Simon, and Sylvia. He is also survived by his mother-in-law, Janell Woodward, and her children, David Woodward and Nancy W. Jeffrey.

John will be deeply missed and forever remembered for his passionate nature and loyalty to those he loved. A private service will be held on Friday, November 14, 2025, followed by a memorial service at a later date.