John Shannon Lee was the eldest son born to the late Royal Augustus Lee and Hazel Virginia (nee Upshaw) Lee on July 4th, 1933, in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the fourth of eight children. His siblings, in birth order, were Dorothy Elizabeth, Barbara Ann McNorton (Roger), Nancy June Prince (Edward), Phyliss Mae Newton (Leonard), MaryContinue Reading
John Shannon Lee was the eldest son born to the late Royal Augustus Lee and Hazel Virginia (nee Upshaw) Lee on July 4th, 1933, in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the fourth of eight children. His siblings, in birth order, were Dorothy Elizabeth, Barbara Ann McNorton (Roger), Nancy June Prince (Edward), Phyliss Mae Newton (Leonard), Mary Catherine Laverne Simmons (Calvin), Richard Allen, Keith Alton (Ira Marie). All preceded him in death.
He attended and graduated from East Technical High School in 1951 and joined the Navy in 1953. He was honorably discharged in 1957. John was a proud machinist mate in the engine room of a Destroyer warship and could tell several stories about what he described as one of the proudest times in his life.
Returning home to Cleveland, he was employed as a Foreman Cabinet Maker at Americo Wholesale Plumbing Supply Company for over 30 years. At Americo, is where he met his wife, Doris. John was a devoted husband to his wife of 55 years, and a loving father to his son, the late Ricardo, and daughters Toni and Janeen. He adored his grandchildren, Dawn (Rynell Jackson) and great-grandchildren Destini and Rylee.
Both John and Doris retired, and later relocated to Pinehurst, North Carolina, where they became proud members of Spaulding Chapel, A.M.E. Zion Church in Hoffman, N.C. They enjoyed nineteen beautiful years in the peaceful retirement community of Pinehurst and on September 29th, 2024, John, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, cousin, and uncle passed away peacefully. He was 91 years old.
He was known for his constant smile, warm greetings, generosity, kindness, and willingness to help anyone in need. He would not hesitate to tell a “Dad” joke at the drop of a hat to anyone in earshot and would also laugh the hardest!
John also had a lifelong love of baseball and rooted for his Cleveland Indians (Guardians), no matter what! He loved the artist Cat Stevens but one of his favorite songs was The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot, which is a song about a crew of twenty-nine doomed sailors on Lake Superior in 1975. He enjoyed a
passion for cabinet making and spent countless hours, after retirement, working for family and friends doing what he loved. He once traveled to Louisville, KY. to install brand new cabinets for his mother-in-law Nannie Scruggs. He also enjoyed woodworking, playing card games online, watching Turner Classic Movies, spending time with his family, friends, and his grand-doggie Caesar. For over fifty years, he and Doris attended the annual Lee-Walker Family Reunions, celebrating the family legacy of his father’s ancestors. In 2023 they, along with John’s many family members, traveled to Chillicothe, Ohio and attended the 100th ceremony of the Lee Reunion.
John will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by those who were blessed enough to have him in their lives. He is survived by his wife, Doris, children (Toni, Janeen), grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a host of other family members, including in-laws Eulastine (late Jack) Thompson, Bettye (Reynolds) Peck, cousins. He also had several nieces/nephews and held a special relationship with Mychal Thompson, Rochelle McNorton, and Charlene (Char) Newton-Thomas.
He will be laid to rest at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery.
We love you John, Dad, Daddy, Paw-Paw, Uncle John, Johnnio!
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