Dorothy Emma Lee's Obituary
On Wednesday May 12th, Dorothy Emma (Preuss) Lee passed peacefully into the arms of our Lord one month after her 107th birthday. Until near the end, this amazing lady was still mentally active, emailing friends and relatives, playing iPad scrabble and computer games, winning frequent pinochle games with family members, regaling listeners with detailed stories of her earlier life, and giving sage advice on dealing with people, problems, and pursuing goals. She had the unique knack of drawing out her visitors with just the right questions to put them at ease and allow them to share their life stories with her. Dorothy’s sharp, inquisitive mind seemed little diminished by age.
Dorothy, the youngest of 8 children, was born to McKinley Hill early settlers Charles and Sophia Preuss of Tacoma. She excelled in sports and academics at Tacoma’s Lincoln High School graduating in 1932. After completion of her dietetic degree at the University of Idaho and the University of Washington she entered into an internship at Walter Reed Medical Center. Her first position as a dietitian working for the US Army was in Hawaii. While living in picturesque pre-WWII Honolulu, she met Edward Morris Lee, a dashing young West Point graduate Army Lieutenant who convinced her to lead the life of an army wife in 1939. She “broke camp” and moved to a new home every year or two for the next 27 years as they raised four children. After Ed’s retirement from the Army, they eventually moved back in 1972 to her family and shared friends in the Tacoma area.
Dorothy’s life-long interest in involvement and volunteering led her to membership in many organizations. Kappa Alpha Theta, Mortar Board, Omicron Nu, League of Women’s Voters, the Red Cross, Eastern Star, and the Cancer Society to name a few.
There was nothing passive or haphazard about Dorothy. Action, organization, attention to detail, and love of good conversation were her trademarks as she weeded and tended her garden, organized her annual high school class reunions, taught bible lessons in church “circles”, and stayed in touch with dozens of friends and relatives by email and as an early user of the iPad. With the passing of her husband Ed in 2003 after nearly 64 years of marriage, she spent more time as a communications center for family news, a hostess and chef for family get-togethers, and a mentor to younger generations in the family. She was preceded in death by her 7 siblings, her son Ted and her grandson Kevin; and she is survived by sons Edward (Brenda), George (Susan), son Ted’s widow Kathy, daughter Anne Potasky (Kevin), 8 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren living in Washington, California, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Florida. Dorothy will be interred at Mountain View Cemetery with only the immediate family in attendance, but there will be a Celebration of Her Life with broader attendance later in the year.
In leu of flowers, please send donations to Step By Step Organization for low income mothers: 3303 #A 8th Ave SE Puyallup, WA 98372. Phone number 253.896.0903.
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