N. GENE LEE
Jan. 24, 1929-Feb. 14, 2016
Gene Lee, 87, longtime resident of Mount Olive, former mayor pro tem and town board member for 23 years, passed away peacefully Sunday afternoon, Feb. 14, 2016, surrounded by his loving wife, Peggy, and his four children.
He was born in Faison, N.C., son of Oscar and Georgia Lane Lee.
His passions included spending time with his family, working in his yard and festively decorating his home for his favorite holiday of Christmas.
Always an optimist and known by his trademark slogan "Everything's going to be all right," Mr. Lee owned a number of businesses in Mount Olive, including Gene Lee Food Town and Lee Inc.
Mr. Lee was also a former executive with Pilot Life Insurance Co., winning many sales awards. He was presented the Top 25 Award by Pilot Life in recognition of his excellent leadership, which resulted in his being among the leading staff of the company.
Mr. Lee was a recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellow Award from the Lions Club International Foundation for dedicated humanitarian service, and was also named the Outstanding Senior Citizen in 2012 by the Mount Olive Jaycees and the Mount Olive Lions Club.
He was a longtime member of the Lions Club and American Legion.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Peggy H. Lee; four children, Brent Lee and wife, Kimberly, of Greenville, N.C., Joy Brown and husband, Charles, of Mount Olive, Ginny Sledge and husband, Michael, of Raleigh, N.C., and Catherine McDonald of Goldsboro, N.C.; and grandchildren, Regan, Jordan and Keaton Lee, Sophia and Alexandra Melk, Natalie Brown, Kerry and Haley Sledge, Mollie Catherine and Lee McDonald.
A visitation with the family will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 17, at Tyndall Funeral Home in Mount Olive.
A celebration of Mr. Lee's life will be held Thursday 11 a.m. in the sanctuary at First Baptist Church of Mount Olive, where he was a longtime member. Officiating will be Dr. Dennis Atwood.
In lieu of flowers, it is the request of the family that memorial gifts in his name be made to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 239, Mount Olive, N.C., 28365.
A Tyndall service.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on February 16, 2016 1:48 PM