Lee Dorson

1939 - 2017

DORSON Lee Dorson passed away following a seven-month battle with bladder cancer on July 28, 2017. He was 77. Born on October 21, 1939, he was the son of Ben and Zelma Dorson of Newton, Mass. He attended the Manter Hall School in Cambridge, Mass. and the University of Miami. An avid golfer, gun, watch and car aficionado and lover of all things police related, Dorson's crowning achievement in life was loving and supporting his family. And his defining feature was his innate emotional strength and ability to embrace every day. A longtime resident of Manchester, N.H., Dorson and his wife, Marilyn, moved to Jacksonville Beach in 1997. Over nearly 20 years, Dorson wove himself into the fabric of the community as a member of the Jacksonville Beach Planning Commission and Code Enforcement Board and was a graduate of the second class of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department's Citizen Police Academy. He went on to become president of that association and also completed the Citizens on Patrol Program. Dorson was a founding and life member of the Sawgrass Sport Shooting Association and served in various positions on the Sanctuary Homeowners Association. For many years, Dorson was also a regular at the Jacksonville Beach Golf Course as well as Dairy Queen and Kilwin's, where he sated his sweet tooth. Dorson leaves behind his wife of 54 years, Marilyn, his daughter and son-in-law, Jill Dorson and Samuel Chi and his beloved granddaughter, Rachel Chi. He is preceded in death by his son, Robert J. Dorson, his parents and his brother J. Robert Dorson. Funeral services, officiated by longtime family friend and Rabbi Arthur Starr, will be held Sunday, July 30 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Valley Cemetery (4750 Palm Valley Road, Ponte Vedra Beach) with a reception to follow. A Memorial Service will be held Sunday evening, July 30, 7 pm, at the Dorson residence: 1326 Blue Heron Lane North, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250. Donations in Dorson's name may be made to the Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, in memory of Robert J. Dorson (4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, Attn: Sarah B. Smith) or Community Hospice of Northeast Florida (4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32257). Please sign the online guestbook at www.pontevedravalley.com.