Robert L. Lee

Lee, Robert L., died unexpectedly in his sleep October 10, 2024, with his beloved wife Mary and Jenny, his English cocker spaniel, at his side.
Bob was born August 1, 1956, the only child of Robert O. Lee and Helen M. (nee Sullivan) Lee. He was raised near Lake Harriet in southwest Minneapolis, graduating from Southwest High School in 1974. He attended the University of Minnesota, graduating summa cum laude with a BA in history. Bob attended Cornell Law School, earning his Juris Doctor in 1981. After his graduation from Cornell, Bob served as a law clerk for Justice Lawrence R. Yetka, of the MN Supreme Court.
Bob was profoundly proud of his identity as a lawyer from the time he entered Cornell Law School to the end of his life. He was a partner at Briggs and Morgan, before becoming Senior Vice President and Senior Company Counsel at Wells Fargo, retiring in 2023. Bob was a highly valued and respected member of the Wells Fargo Legal Department for 30 years. He was the lead Merger and Acquisitions attorney at Wells Fargo, whose work included Wells Fargo's 2008 acquisition of Wachovia Corporation, which remains the largest bank acquisition in US history.
Bob was a man of great intellect, erudition, compassion, wit, and a life-long Anglophile. He was admired as a great raconteur; his story telling was legendary, most often shared over a good meal and fine wine. Though he had many interests, his great passions were Mary, classical music, opera, fine art, and naval history. He and Mary enjoyed and supported the arts here and abroad, with Bob making it a priority to attend as many performances as his busy work schedule allowed, always in elegant attire. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the St Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, St. John's School of Theology and Seminary, and the Cathedral Heritage Foundation.
Predeceased by his parents Robert O. and Helen M. Lee. Bob is survived by his loving wife Mary E. Schaffner and dog Jenny; cousins Thomas Hegg (Peggy and son Adam), James Hegg (daughter Sondra Sylvester), James Sullivan, and Timothy Sullivan; brother-in-law William Schaffner (Anna), sister-in-law Julia Miller (Donald); nieces and nephews Katherine, Matthew, and Mark Miller, and Alexandra, Rosa, and Mia Schaffner.
Please remember Bob over a meal with friends, while listening to some opera, or reading a good book.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Cathedral of St Paul Friday, November 8, 2024, at 10:30 am. Mass will also be live-streamed and available on the Cathedral website. A private interment will take place at St John' s Abbey Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, Cathedral Heritage Foundation, or St. John's School of Theology and Seminary.
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