Thomas Carroll Lee Jr.

Thomas Carroll Lee, Jr. died peacefully late Sunday afternoon after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease. He was 88.

He was the son of Sis and Thomas Carroll Lee and grew up in Chickasaw Gardens with a close-knit group of boys who remained his lifelong friends.

Tom graduated from St. Anne Catholic School and Christian Brothers High School. He graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, where he was an All-American athlete on the fencing team. He later received an MBA from Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis, and served in the United States Air Force Reserve.

After college, he worked briefly with his father in his business, Perkins Oil. He then purchased Stovall Engineering, an industrial pipe-valve company. He owned and operated the company until his retirement in 2020. Tom was deeply respected and beloved by his employees and established a profit-sharing plan that provided substantial annual bonuses.

In the late 1970s, Tom began traveling to England to buy shipments of antiques to sell, a pursuit that grew into a second career he truly loved for the next 40 years. He exhibited at major shows including the Nashville Antique & Garden Show, the Atlanta Cathedral Antique Show, and the Birmingham Antique Show. Along the way, he formed lasting friendships with fellow dealers across the United States and beyond.

Tom developed a particular passion for armorial porcelain, which combined two of his great interests, history and the decorative arts. He became both a serious collector and a recognized expert in the field.

In 1983, together with his dear friend Dr. Walter R. Brown he established the Decorative Arts Trust for the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, getting five friends to help fund the process. Beginning with approximately 30 members, the Trust has grown to more than 250 members and continues to support the museum's decorative arts collection. Tom also served on the board of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and other civic and cultural organizations.

Tom is survived by his wife, Lucy Cuningham Lee; his sons Thomas Carroll Lee III and his wife Allison, Dudley Weaver Lee and his wife Louise, Christopher Chandler Lee and his wife Erin. He is also survived by his stepsons Judson Oliver Williford, Jr. and his wife Leah, William Battle Williford and his wife Ann.

He leaves seven grandchildren: Chandler Pierce and her husband Will, Claire Rehm, and her husband Austin, Nelson, Kylie, Madeleine, Thomson, and Nicholas Lee, and five step-grandchildren: Oliver, Hays, Battle, Sophie, and Grace Williford. He was predeceased by his step-granddaughter Lucy Rives Williford.
He is also survived by his sisters Diana Lee Cummings and Linda Clark and her husband James, his brother Michael Lee and his wife Donna, and his brother-in-law, Butch Boehm. He was predeceased by his sisters Carroll Lee Giovanetti and Ellen Boehm. He also leaves a host of nieces and nephews.

He was lovingly cared for in his last years by Saundra Wells, whose devotion and kindness were deeply appreciated by his family.

Funeral services will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church on Thursday, February 5, at 2:00 p.m. Visitation will be held in the Parish Hall beginning at 1:00 p.m.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Decorative Arts Trust of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art or ArtsMemphis.