Robert Corwin Lee Jr.

1931 - 2016

Robert Corwin Lee, Jr.

Robert C. "Bob" Lee age 84, of Springfield, Missouri, died Wednesday, August 31, 2016. He was born December 21, 1931, in Brooklyn, N.Y. to the late Robert Sr. and Elsie Calder Lee. He was the grandson of Senator William M. Calder of New York, and William A. Lee, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the state of Idaho. Bob received a B.A. degree from Stanford University, a Masters Degree in Education from San Jose State University and did further graduate work at Central Missouri State University. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. On May 31, 1975, he was united in marriage to Doris Gaye Hamby of Ava, Missouri. Bob began his career in education as an elementary school teacher in Santa Cruz County, California, in 1957. In 1967 he moved to Missouri, bought a 300 acre farm in southern Dallas County where he raised cattle and taught at Buffalo High School. In 1973 he became principal at Buffalo High School. After his marriage in 1975, Bob moved to Warsaw, Missouri, and accepted the position of Director of Elementary Education with the Warsaw R-9 School District, a position he held until 1993. He wrote a number of children's books for publishers Little, Brown and Company, McGraw-Hill, and Thomas Nelson. In 1974, his book, "It's a Mile from Here to Glory," won the Mark Twain Award from the Missouri Association of School Librarians. The Lees moved to Springfield in 2000 where they have been members of the Wesley United Methodist Church. Bob has served as a volunteer at the Greene County Library Center and also with the Springfield Visitors Bureau at the Springfield Airport. Bob is survived by his wife, Gaye; his sons Robert III and his wife Sharron of Lenexa, KS; Chris and his wife Ann Dee, of Edmond, OK; Scott and his wife Sherry of Springfield; step-sons Mark Drake of Overland Park, KS and his wife Natalie; and David Drake and his wife, Alicia, of Yellville, AR; five grandsons, four granddaughters, and four great grandchildren. He is further survived by many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by three sisters, Elsie Lee Brothers of Glenn Ridge, NJ, Katherine Lee Keenan of Atlanta, GA, and Mollie Lee Llerena of Vero Beach, FL. Funeral services for Robert C. Lee will be held on Tuesday, September 6, 2016 at 12:30 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, 922 West Republic Road, Springfield, Missouri. Visitation will precede the funeral at 11:30 a.m. Burial will take place at Missouri Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Care to Learn-Springfield, 411 N Sherman Pkwy, Springfield, MO 65802 or caretolearnfund.org.