Lee passed away in the early hours of June 27, 2021, a week shy of his 76th birthday. Born July 5, 1945 in San Antonio, Texas to Lee Roy (Jr.) and Elizabeth Josephine (Lamb) Chesney, he was the oldest of two children, a gifted educator and artist who dedicated his life to service.
Lee’s early years were spent growing up in the Midwest as well as more exotic locales (including Japan and France) as he and his family followed Lee’s father all over the world in the 1950s and 1960s. Like his father, Lee 3 discovered a love of art, and pursued it as an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (BFA, painting 1969) and as a graduate student at Indiana University (MFA with honors, printmaking 1972).
Soon after finishing his MFA, Lee was hired as a summer instructor of printmaking in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. As will surprise no one that knew him, Lee’s talent in the studio and as head of a classroom earned him a full contract in 1975 and promotion to tenure in 1978. While at UT, Lee met Margaret (Molly) Malone, whom he married in 1981. They had two children, Sarah Jane (1983), and Samuel Lee (1985).
Over the course of his 49 years living in Austin and teaching in the Department of Art and Art History at UT, Lee trained and mentored many students, touched the lives of numerous colleagues and friends, and threw himself into causes great and small. He spent over 25 years in Scouting with the Boy Scouts of America, serving as Scoutmaster as well as District Commissioner for the Capital Area Council. He was also active in the Northeast Austin Rotary Club for many years, serving as president and donating his time to many Rotary ventures including Meals on Wheels, for which he delivered for many years.
Lee’s most prominent trait was his generous spirit, and his greatest pleasure was in helping others to achieve their visions – be it in the studio, at the campsite, or any place he found himself.
Lee is survived by his sister, Terril and brother-in-law Scott Bauer; his daughter Sarah Jane; his son Samuel, daughter-in-law Angelica, and grandson (and all-time favorite person) Noah Lee Santiago Chesney.
A memorial in Lee’s honor will be held for friends and family at 11:00 am on Saturday, July 24 at Cook- Walden Funeral Home 6100 North Lamar, Austin, Texas 78752.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donations to causes close to Lee’s heart: the Capitol Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America; Rotary International; and the Department of Art and Art History at UT, where Lee has arranged for a scholarship for undergraduate printmaking students.
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