Thomas "Rod" Lee

1945 - 2018

LEE
On Sunday December 23, 2018 Thomas "Rod" Lee, father of two and grandfather of seven, passed away peacefully at the age of 73, surrounded by his family. Rod was born on May 15th, 1945 in Jacksonville, Florida. A graduate of Landon High School, he went on to receive his bachelor's degree from Jacksonville University and worked as an accountant for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida in Jacksonville for nearly 37 years. He married Barbara Correnti on January 9th, 1971 and raised two children, Courtney and Trevor.
His family was everything to him even at an early age. He grew up in San Marco with his two brothers and lived his whole life less than a few miles from his childhood home on Barcelona Ave. As a kid, he was inseparable from his twin brother Skip, forming a lifelong bond. As a young father, he poured his spare time into his children and loved attending crew events, graduations, celebrations, and any opportunity he could find to be a proud father. He was strong and faithful, carrying the family with his compassion through the ups and downs of life. The grandchildren given to him by Courtney and Trevor were his most prized possessions in his later life, often spoiling them beyond belief.
In 1998 he was faced with total kidney failure at the age of 53 and his daughter courageously offered a kidney, giving him a second chance at life. After the surgery he began volunteering at a small 4 bedroom hospitality house called St. Andrews Lighthouse in Jacksonville, endlessly pouring himself into the transplant community. The employees, volunteers, and guests at St. Andrews became his second family. They worked together tirelessly alongside Mayo Clinic and the selfless generosity of Jorge and Leslie Bacardi to build Gabriel House of Care at May Clinic, a 30 room home dedicated to transplant patients and their families. He served as the resident manager there for many years and was a fixture among the volunteers and staff even after he retired. In 2007, Rod helped form The Jacksonville Transplant Alliance bringing together members of the local transplant support groups and representatives of area organizations to advocate for transplant patients and their families.
Rod was preceded in death by his beloved mother Louise Lee. He is succeeded by his older brother Richard Lee, his fraternal twin brother Robert "Skip" Lee, Skip's wife Marcie Lee, his two children Courtney Lee and Trevor Lee, and his grandchildren Alexa Perryman, Larissa Lee, Kirsten Lee, Trevor Lee Jr, Thomas Lee, Teagan Lee, and Tristan Lee.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday January 12th at 10 am, located at Chetts Creek Church at 4420 Hodges Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32224, followed by a reception at Epping Forest.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Gabriel House of Care at Mayo Clinic in Rod's honor. www.gabrielhouseofcare.org

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