COLUMBIA - Funeral service for Emily Lewis Lee, 92, will be held at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, December 21, 2014, at Greenlawn Baptist Church, with burial in Greenlawn Memorial Park with military rites. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service, from 2 until 3 p.m. at the church and again following the service at the home of Gary and Ginger Lee. Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is assisting the family. Mrs. Lee died Wednesday, December 17, 2014. Born in Brunswick County, Va., she was a daughter of the late Norborne W. and Carrie Matthews Lewis. She moved to Petersburg, Va., where she graduated from Petersburg High School in 1939 as Valedictorian and Madison College, now JMU, with honors and received a Bachelor of Science Degree, followed by a Dietetic Internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Md. Mrs. Lee joined the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a dietitian, serving at Station Hospital, Camp Rucker, Ala., and Regional Hospital, Fort Bragg, N.C., where she met and married Lt. Luther M. Lee on March 30, 1946. The Army transferred the Lees to Fort Jackson, S.C., where civilian Emily V. Lee obtained a position in the Dietetic Service of Dorn VA Hospital. She was Assistant Chief of Dietetic Services from 1950 to 1956 and received a Meritorious Service Award. A registered dietitian and a contributing member of the American Association from 1944 -1997, she served in various capacities, including two terms as State President of South Carolina Dietetic Association and Chairperson in 1954 of the original Scholarship Committee, and most recently as the association’s representative to the State Council on Aging. With the birth of her sons, Mrs. Lee resigned her VA Hospital position and participated in church, community, and Tri Sigma Sorority volunteer positions. At Greenlawn Baptist Church, she has served as Youth Sunday School leader; organized the Wednesday Night Fellowship Supper Volunteer Program; Deacon; and writes a monthly “people column” for the church newsletter. Crayton and A.C. Flora Booster Club work was followed by committee assignment by Mayor Kirkman Finlay for the establishment of the SC State museum where she was among the original Docent group. Mrs. Lee was a charter member of the Richland County Legal Auxiliary organized in 1972, serving in various capacities. From 1947 to 1972 and later 1986 to 1995, Mrs. Lee served Tri Sigma Sorority as Social Service Chair; Collegiate and Alumnae VP; Walton House Board, National Headquarters; and received the Sorority’s prestigious Founders Award at the 1995 National Convention. She assisted in the organization and held leadership positions in the Columbia S.C. Area Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma. In 1980, Emily Lewis Lee was the first out-of-state resident to be invited by the Virginia Governor to serve on the James Madison Board of visitors after having served two terms on the college’s Alumni Board. She received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 1981. She served as Chairperson of the 1943 Class Scholarship Fund. In 1972, Mrs. Lee began a new career as a Legal Assistant in the law office of her late husband, Luther M. Lee, until her retirement in 1991. During this period, the law office moved to the Congaree Vista to the Luther M. Lee Building with establishment of the Conference/Social Room known as The Gamecock Room, where the Lees’ collection of Gamecock memorabilia, begun in 1963 on their overseas trip, found a “home.” The Lees’ loyalty to the University of South Carolina has been evident through the years and recently the Endowed Luther M. Lee Scholarship has been established at the USC School of Law. Surviving are her sons, James Lewis Lee (Cynthia) of Mt. Pleasant, Gary Wilson Lee (Virginia) of Columbia; grandchildren, Jonathan James Lee, Virginia Macy Lee, Matthew William Lewis Lee, Katherine Grace Lee, and Christina Elaine Lee. She was predeceased by her husband, Luther M. Lee. Memorials may be made to James Madison University Foundation, 1 Court Street, Harrisonburg, VA, 22801; Greenlawn Baptist Church, 6612 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, SC, 29209; Sigma Sigma Sigma Foundation, 225 N. Muhlenberg Street, Woodstock, VA, 22664; or A.C. Flora Booster Club, 1 Falcon Drive, Columbia, SC, 29204.
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