Merle John Lee

Merle was born in Fairbury, NE, in November 1932, to Ruth (Grant) and Martin Lee. The family moved to his uncle John's farm near Long Pine in 1936. He was the eldest son at home and had a lot of responsibility at an early age, helping his parents on the farm.

Merle was a corporal in the US Army, stationed outside Vienna, Austria and later in Korea during the Korean War. After being honorably discharged, he returned home to Long Pine. It was in 1955, the decision was made for the family to relocate to Eugene, Oregon, where he and his brother Jerome got jobs working on a logging crew.

In 1957, he married Hazel Matthews at St Mary's Church in Eugene. Hazel had worked with his sister Pat, who introduced them. In 1965, Merle and Hazel moved to southern Oregon, where he was employed at White City Plywood, later Timber Products;  the next year buying a house in White City, where they raised their family. They lived there together until 2020, when Hazel passed away.

Merle was an avid fisherman, spending most of that time on the Rogue River fishing for salmon. He also rafted the wild lower Rogue many times, always taking friends and family along. He also enjoyed a good game of chess and was quite the handyman around the house.

Merle is survived by his three children: John Lee (Tess) of White City; Carol Graeber of Central Point; Ronald Lee of Milwaukie. He is also survived by two brothers, Jerome (Nina) of Jacksonville, OR and Edward (Roxie) of Medford; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Hazel; two brothers, Raymond and Francis; and three sisters Myra, Patricia and Lavina

Merle will be remembered as an honest, generous, and hardworking man, who believed in doing the right thing. His children will remember him as a wonderful, devoted father, and he will be greatly missed by his family and friends.