Lee Daugherty

Lee Daugherty, 82, of Avon Lake, Ohio, passed away peacefully at the Hospice of the Western Reserve Ames Family House on Friday, November 28, 2025. Born Jessica Lee Young on May 2, 1943, in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, family, treasured friends, and colleagues all knew her as Lee - only strangers ever used Jessica.

Tiny and determined, Lee faced many health challenges from Parkinson's disease and cancers from Lynch syndrome with remarkable resilience until the end.

At age 15, she moved from the Pittsburgh area to Toronto, Ohio, and made the Buckeye State her home for the rest of her life. She graduated from Toronto High School in 1961 and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in accounting from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, a master's degree in accounting from Kent State University, and a master's degree in higher education administration from the University of Akron.

Lee began her professional life as a CPA and shared her love of accounting as an adjunct professor at Kent State and Ohio State universities. In 1978, she joined Lorain County Community College, embarking on a teaching career there that spanned more than 40 years.

She taught accounting with passion, mentored countless students, led committees and human resources development programs, and formed lifelong friendships with colleagues. Earning tenure and retiring as a full professor, she held the title of professor emeritus at the time of her death, leaving a lasting mark on her students and the college community.

Throughout her life, she was active in the Ohio Society of CPAs and attended Stow, Hudson and Bay Presbyterian churches and generously supported many charitable causes.

Travel was a cherished part of Lee's life. Whether with colleagues who became friends, family or her own companions, she explored the world with curiosity and a sense of wanderlust - from San Francisco, New York, Colorado and Hawaii to Egypt, Spain, Portugal, and countless visits to London. She especially loved the beach and the ocean and could spend hours walking along the shore at favorite spots like Cocoa Beach and Sanibel, Florida.

Lee was preceded in death by her parents, James Stewart Young and Wanda Ruth Maienfisch Young; her brother, James C. Young; and her daughter, Jennifer Hendrick. She is survived by her daughter, Robin (Scott) Suttell; treasured grandsons, Evan Suttell and Jacob Bosko; and many cousins and friends who became family.

Details for a visitation and service at Busch Funeral Home are being finalized and will be announced soon. A private burial in Pennsylvania will occur later. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the LCCC Foundation in support of the students and programs at the organization where she spent most of her career. https://www.lcccfoundation.org/ or LCCC Foundation, 1005 N. Abbe Road #CC220, Elyria OH 44035. www.buschcares.com 440-933-3202