Lee was born in Norfolk, VA to Addison Porter and Madeline Lewis. His father being a U.S. Coast Guard officer, Lee moved around the country including New Jersey, California, Washington, and Alaska throughout his childhood. He attended high school in Connecticut. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the tail end of World War II. Once the war ended, Lee attended the University of Washington graduating with degrees in Math and English in 1949. After completing his formal education he was commissioned into the U.S. Army to begin his career as an Air Defense Artilleryman at Ft. Bliss, Texas. He served in the Korean War from April 1951 to May 1952. After that he was stationed at various locations around the United States until he was stationed at Fort Clayton, Canal Zone in the Republic of Panama. He fell in love with the culture as well as a beautiful woman, Catalina Alicia Rodriguez. They married May 12, 1962. They were able to stay in Panama for another year where their first child, Anamaria, was born. Lee attended Command and General Staff College prior to being stationed in Colorado Springs, CO in 1964. His two sons, Thomas and Richard were born in Colorado Springs. The family then moved to assignments in New Mexico and Massachusetts. Lee commanded 3rd Battalion, 5th Artillery from 1968 to 1970. Lee served as the Director of Psychological Operations, MAC-V in Vietnam from Mar 1970- Mar 1971. He returned to Colorado Springs after his tour in Vietnam. He culminated his military career as the first commander of the Ballistic Missile Defense Activity (BMDOA).
During his busy military career, Lee also found time to serve his family and community. He was a wonderful father, who was always there to help with homework or just encourage us. We never had any doubts about how much he loved our mother. He was pack master for Pack 34. He served as PTA president. He was a proud Rotarian helping coordinate many projects including delivering dental equipment to Latin American communities and sponsoring business exchanges with young, aspiring business professionals from various African countries.
Lee retired from the U.S. Army after 33 years of service. He loved his military career. His mother often joked that Lee would work for free if he had to. After retiring, Lee worked as a real estate appraiser for 5 years. During retirement Lee and Cata loved to travel. They had wonderful adventures in Japan, Europe, and Canada and all over the U.S. including Alaska. Lee also enjoyed golf and annual fishing trips with his buddies. He was always enthusiastic about learning new things. One of his favorite sayings was, “It’s a sad day when you don’t learn something new.”
Lee is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons with their spouses and ten grandchildren:
Anamaria L. Mahon and husband George of Louisville, KY with their children George, Caitlin and Seth;
Richard A. Lewis and wife Lara Lynn of Colorado Springs, CO with their children Daniel, Rachel, Chloe, Brit and Ian; and Thomas L. Lewis and wife Monica of Houston, TX with their children Nicole and Andrew.
In addition Lee is survived by his in-laws Alberto and America Noriega of Panama City, Republic of Panama and Ernestine Rodriguez of Cedar Rapids, IA, plus numerous nieces and nephews in Panama and throughout the United States.
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