Lee David Thorpe

Lee David Thorpe passed away unexpectedly in the early morning of January 5, 2025, at Norman Regional Hospital in Norman, Oklahoma. He was born on April 22, 1988, in Ipswich, England, to Janet Krahn and David Thorpe.

He is survived by his brother, Colin Thorpe; his sister, Katie Melvin, his godson Wyatt Potts; his half-brothers Joshua Jackson and Jeremiah Thorpe; and his half-sisters Brittany Jackson, Ebony Thorpe, and Michaela Thorpe. He was predeceased by his mother, Janet Krahn, and his father, David Thorpe.

Lee graduated from Logan Elm High School in 2006. After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he rapidly rose through the ranks, setting a wing record for the highest datalink uptime as an Airborne Surveillance Technician before reaching his highest rank and job title of E-5 Airborne Surveillance Technician Evaluator.

After being Honorably Discharged, Lee decided to learn how to build websites, remembering how much fun he’d had as a kid making his Pikachu fan site on Geocities. Teaching himself to code, he started as a freelance developer, designing websites for dozens of small businesses in Norman, Oklahoma, before being hired as a Software Engineer at USPS. More recently, he worked as a Senior Software Engineer for BambooHR.

In his free time, Lee was a talented woodworker, a top-tier Holy Paladin healer in World of Warcraft, an avid fantasy football player, and an aspiring grill master who specialized in smoked salmon. He loved the outdoors ever since we spent our youth having adventures at Congo Creek (“The Creek,” we called it) in Circleville, and he never missed an opportunity to camp or go kayaking. His favorite video games were Zelda, Pokémon, and WoW; his favorite shows were South Park and Adventure Time; and his favorite book series were The Stormlight Archive and Gotrek & Felix.

He was whip smart and had a mischievous, absurd sense of humor, whether it was dolphins being shipped from the sea in buckets to build the Pyramids of Giza, owls doing rodeo flips, or the idea that when dogs crossed their legs while lying down, they were “flashing gang signs.” He loved animals and doted on his two dogs, Pepper and Finley. He was a naturally gifted artist, as the countless hilarious doodles in his notebooks can attest, and he was great with his hands; there were few mechanical problems he couldn't fix when he put his mind to it.

More than all of that, he was a good person. He was always ready to provide encouragement, advice, and help to those who needed it, and he exalted in the successes of others. He was always fun to be around, always bubbling with curiosity and creativity, always laughing and making others laugh, making even mundane situations interesting with his unique mixture of insight and humor.

Lee has always been my best friend and constant companion, and I can’t believe he’s gone. I love and miss him more than I can say, and if there’s a world after this one, then I hope, wish, and desperately pray, that I’ll get to be his brother there too.

A visitation for Lee will be held Saturday, February 15, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Defenbaugh-Wise-Schoedinger, 151 E. Main Street, Circleville, Ohio 43113. Following the visitation will be a memorial service at 11:00 AM. Lee will be laid to rest at Forest Cemetery with Military Honors.

Please watch the livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBn3YKfsyN0__;!!M2D_dUfSiN4E!JIgZRunmw5ZLTRrH63dF45tFThqkH4pFVtXUvjZbMMx2yVjR8FgLd3k9C5y6LRWx9T9eoF_m3uYYgVKdTQ-3OnaR-5Sb4gq3$