Carl Edward Lee

Born in Lawndale, NC on March 1, 1932, he was the son of the late Carl Lee and Margaret Cornwell Lee Mull.

Ed proudly served in the Navy from 1950-1954. He was a Quartermaster serving on the USS Rochester CA-124 during the Korean War. He and his ship were involved in numerous battles over his 3 years. His ship's guns provided support for troops landing at Inchon on September 13, 1950. Afterwards, General Douglas MacArthur stated, "the Navy and Marines have never shone more brightly than this morning." He was honorably discharged with numerous service medals.

He was an Oasis Shriner. He was also a member of the Cleveland Masonic Lodge 202 where he received his 60th year pin in 2016.

He started his career in the glass business with PPG Industries in 1956, where he worked for 21 years. In 1977, he co-founded ARG, Inc. ARG became the leader in auto glass replacement industry in the Carolinas. He sold the business in 1997 and retired. Anyone who knows Ed knew that retirement would never suit him. In 1999 he came out of retirement and helped his son, Chris, start Charlotte Glass Contractors. He was always the first person to arrive each morning and worked for 19 years before finally officially retiring in 2018.

He approached every situation or challenge in the same manner. He would set goals and through hard work and extreme discipline would always achieve or exceed those goals. He became an avid runner, consumed with fitness after being diagnosed with high blood pressure at a young age. He received a black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 66. He was known for doing knuckle push-ups on gravel and his extreme sit-up regimen. At the age of 78 he set a goal of 562,000 sit-ups for the year. He did 600,082. That is a microcosm of his extraordinary life!

He was the quintessential "glass half-full" guy. No one can remember seeing him in a bad mood or without a smile on his face. He loved every day of his life and felt he was the luckiest person on earth. He genuinely cared about people and was extremely proud of his family. He was a role model for everyone who knew him well and impacted so many lives. None more than his children and grandchildren.

In addition to his parents and twin sister, Joyce Lee, Ed was preceded in death by his infant daughter, Mary Alison Lee.

Ed is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Mardi Lee; his three daughters and son, Jenny Lee of Raleigh, Karen Patton (Fred) of Greensboro; Chris Lee (Carole) of Charlotte, Susan Bledsoe (Mike) of Charlotte; six grandchildren, Ryan Lee (Brittany), Jordan Lee Reardon (Schuyler), Sean Billerman, Quinn Billerman, Matthew Bledsoe and Kaylee Bledsoe; and two great-grandchildren, Adeline Rose Reardon and Charlotte Hayden Lee.

The family will receive family and friends from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm on Saturday, June 20, 2020 at

McEwen Funeral Services - Mint Hill. The funeral service will follow at 5:00 pm in the chapel.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Alzheimer's Association (alz.org) or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (tunnel2towers.org).

Condolences may be offered online at www.mcewenminthillchapel.com.