Lee R. Platt

1921 - 2011

Lee R. Platt passed away peacefully Jan. 9, 2011, at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo. He was 89.

A longtime resident of Vallejo, Lee was born Sept. 25, 1921, in Berkeley to Alfred and Blanche Platt. In 1926, the family moved to Vallejo where Lee attended school and graduated from Vallejo High School in 1939.

He briefly attended the University of California Berkeley, but left school to accept a job with Bank of America in Angels Camp. His stint there lasted barely six months and after being transferred to a branch in Vallejo, he sought employment at Mare Island Naval Shipyard.

Originally hired as an apprentice sheet metal worker, Lee remained in the employ of the federal government – including a pair of stints with the Navy during World War II and a call-up during the Korean War – until his retirement from Mare Island as head of the Industrial Engineering Branch in 1971.

Lee had no trouble switching gears; his last day at Mare Island was a Friday and two days later he was skiing at Park City, Utah. His first took up skiing in 1953 and didn't stop until 1994 when – at the age of 72 – he skied for the last time with his granddaughter and future grandson-in-law at Sugar Bowl.

In addition to skiing, Lee loved Yosemite National Park (he estimated he had visited the park more than 200 times). A longtime member of the Masons, an avid traveler and member of numerous singing groups, he was particularly proud of being made an honorary Life Member of the Vallejo Choral Society.

After commuting back and forth on weekends to a house in Paradise, Lee made the foothill town his permanent home in the late 1970s. The small dwelling on the edge of town became known to friends and family alike as the Little Green House.

Following a second divorce and desperately looking for something to do, Lee restarted his college career and enrolled at the California State University Chico a few weeks shy of his 67th birthday. Three years later, he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies.

After Paradise, Lee moved to Vacaville and eventually back to Vallejo. He was a resident of Merrill Gardens at the time of his death.

Lee was preceded in death by his mother and father, Alfred and Blanche, his brother, Bill, and a son, Richard. He is survived by his daughter, Teresa (Steve); son, Brian (Gloria); grandsons Michael (Lisa) and Brian (Amy); granddaughters Debbie (Rodney), Nancy (Dan), Heather, Mariah (Josh) and Jessica; great-grandsons Rob, Brent, Chadwick, Brett, Dylan, Nicholas, Jacob, Eli, Cayetano, Marshall, Corbin, Reid, and Dane; great-granddaughters Megan, Lauren, Kathryn, Hailey, and Ava; a great-great-granddaughter who will be born in May; numerous nieces and nephews; former wives Dorris Lubkeman and Diana McGinnis; and former sister-in-law and longtime friend Pat McDill.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Pina of ComForcare Senior Services, Lee's loving caregiver during his final weeks.

A memorial service will be held at Saturday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. at Church of the Ascension, 2420 Tuolumne St., in Vallejo.

Memorial contributions can be made in Lee's name to the Yosemite Conservancy, (800) 469-7275.