April 14, 2010

Deacon Lee ‘had a servant’s heart’

Deacon William Lee died April 7.  He was 73. He was in and out of the hospital the past few years with various illnesses involving the lungs and the heart.

William “Bill” Lee was born June 30, 1936, in Rutland, Vt.  He entered the U.S. Air Force in 1954 and served until 1957.  On May 31, 1958, he married Barbara Guertin at St. Peter’s Church in Mount Clemens, Mich. 

After the Air Force he worked for the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic controller.  Arriving in Colorado in the late 70s, he began to discern a vocation to the diaconate.  On May 25, 1991, he was ordained by then-Archbishop J. Francis Stafford and immediately began ministering at St. John the Baptist Parish in Longmont where he remained in active ministry until his retirement in 2002. 

Deacon Lee was instrumental in organizing the Front Range Chaplains for police and emergency workers and was once a firefighter himself.  He was supportive of the elderly and sick and established an Alcoholism Consultation Ministry in his parish as part of his diaconal ministry.  He was also a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus. 

“The servant’s heart was apparent in the work of Deacon Bill,” said Deacon Joe Donohoe, archdiocesan director of deacon personnel. “The legacy he built for the Church will be remembered at St. John the Baptist, and in Longmont, for years to come.”

Deacon Lee is survived by his wife, five children, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. 

A viewing and vigil was held April 13 at St. John the Baptist Church. A funeral Mass was held there the following day.