William Palmer Lee of Greenville, S.C., formerly of Baltimore and Edgartown, husband of Laura Lee Neilson Lee, died on Saturday, June 21, of cancer. He was 88.
Mr. Lee was born July 6, 1926, in Baltimore, the son of Frederic Collins and Adelaide Woodcock Lee. He was a direct descendent of Col. Richard and Anna Lee, progenitors of the Lee family, and Thomas Sim Lee, the first governor of Maryland. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, he graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Business in the class of 1951. He and his first wife, Constance Chatard Lee, had three children, William Corbin Lee, Constance Chatard Lee Pullella, and Hannah Tyson Lee Spradling. He is the grandfather of Jake, Peter, and Charles Spradling, and Matthew and Julianne Pullella.
An avid sailor, Mr. Lee was also a licensed small-plane pilot for over 50 years, serving as a lieutenant in the Delaware wing of the Civil Air Patrol. Most of his working life was as a stockbroker with major brokerage firms. Upon retirement, the Lees moved to Martha’s Vineyard, where they lived for 18 years until their decision to move to Rolling Green Retirement Village in Greenville, S.C. Burial will be at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Cemetery, Petersville, Frederick County, Maryland, on July 10, at 11 am. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
