Lee graduated from Harrison High School in Evansville, Indiana in 1972.
Since childhood he had a passion for music and talent for playing the drums. Lee was accepted by the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He was hired by the Glen Miller Band
in the 70's, they traveled the world giving performances and were occasionally given backstage passes to concerts of famous rock and roll stars. Playing the drums for years
and choosing not to wear any kind of protection for his hearing, he ended up wearing hearing aids for the rest of his life.
In 1993, Lee came across the book, "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara and to quote Lee, "I was hooked and there was no looking back". Research of the American Civil War
became his life-long hobby. He became a member of Civilwartalk.com using the screen name of William42, and eventually a moderator for the website. It was on this
site that we met, in 2008. Lee had changed his screen name to Glorybound and my screen name was/is Bonny Blue Flag (--BBF).
For the next 4 yrs we enjoyed sharing little
known facts of the war, bantering over actions of Generals and their battle reports and having fun with some of the more bizarre incidents that war brought, like "Fighting
Naked", an article Lee found in the Washington Times. (when crossing a river, the cavalry would keep their clothes dry by taking them off and placing them on the backs of their horses, then swim with their horses across the river. If the enemy came into sight during the crossing, no one would lose time getting dressed, they would grab their guns and start fighting!).
Lee also kept up with current sporting events, politics and of course, music. I gained alot of respect for him.
Lee was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He took medications to control his condition and medications to help him sleep. In his later years this became more problematic. Holding down a job and affording his medications was a constant issue. Every few days was a
rollercoaster ride. Some have described Lee has having quite a temper. I never saw it in our emails or when we lived together for 3 months. When he was with me, he was a gentleman. Our best times were sitting on my backporch, sharing beers and listening to Rangers baseball games. We would talk all night long.
Lee's favorite authors were Kurt Vonnegut and Ambrose Bierce. Using a quote from Bierce for his tagline on Civilwartalk and Historum, he chose this one: "Absurdity, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistant with one's own opinion." This pretty well describes the
life of a person with bipolar disorder.
Lee was with FedEx for 19 yrs. This gave him retirement income later on. One job he thought would answer his lack of funds would be as an Over-the-Road trucker. The
company he joined trained their drivers in the classroom, then on the road. Lee traveled with the company from Evansville, Indiana to Texas. It was in Lancaster, Tx that he was let go as an employee. With no funds to get back home and no where to live, I invited Lee to stay with me until he was back on his feet. It was a rollercoaster 3 months, but I would not trade them for anything.
Not wanting to stay put for long, Lee left Texas on a bus and went to Sacramento, California, a place he always wanted to see. We kept in touch every few days, mainly for me to check in with him to see that he was ok. Lee phoned me from time to time, talking about the natural beauty of our country he saw, from Texas to California.
Lee was homeless for a while after arriving in Sacramento. Eventually he got into a homeless shelter for men, received help with his medications and seemed to be at ease with himself. Lee told me he had in his wallet a list of names of who to contact in case anything happened to him, and my name was on that list.
Within a couple of months, he was ready to go back to Indiana. Again he was homeless for a while. It was during this time he checked into a hospital because of a bad episode of his bipolar disorder. I recieved a phone call from this hospital, wanting to know his medical and medication history. I was glad Lee was aware when to seek medical attention.
Eventually he moved to the home of his brother Gary in Evansville, Indiana. It was here he had his first heart attack. After having stents put in, he left the hospital
against medical advice, because he didn't have money to pay for more treatment.
Lee settled into the town of New Albany, Indiana, not far from extended family and within traveling distance to his brother, Gary, in Evansville. Lee rented an apartment and lived on his retirement from FedEx which was just barely making ends meet. He had several jobs, not able to stay with these companies for various reasons.
We kept in touch via text message. I regulary sent him a text saying, "Hey, Lee!" and he would text back, "Hey, sweetie!". Enough to keep us connected, to know we are out there keeping an eye on each other. At the end of every phone call and email we always ended with, "I love you."
The one mainstay of this phase of his life was a dog he bought at the local animal shelter. He named her Elizabeth, after an aunt. He called her Izzy, a mutt with a huge heart. With animals, Lee was loving and consistant. He continued contributing to sites such as
Historum.com and Civilwartalk.com.
On November 10th of this year, I received a call from a woman who stated she didnt know me but found my phone number in Lee's wallet along with the phone numbers of his boss and a neighborlady who agreed to take care of Izzy if Lee could not. Lee had experienced a massive heart attack, was in the hospital, on life support and had requested that he not be resusitated. The family had been called to come to the hospital. It was Lee's cousin Linda who called me. I asked her to please keep me updated and to call me back as soon as there were any changes in his condition.
I was on pins and needles for 24 hrs. Not hearing from her, I called Linda. There was no answer, so I left a message.
Had to run some errands and while in line at the grocery store, I suddenly felt a sensation of warmth, an almost overpowering feeling of love. When I returned home, Linda had left me a message. I called her back and she said Lee had passed away. It happened at the very time that I felt the warmth and almost overpowering love. I think Lee was telling me good-bye.
Linda said there would be no funeral service, only one viewing. The family decided this would be a very private affair.
On both Historum and Civilwartalk, I created a thread to announce Lee's demise. Within a 2 week period, over 2100 people had viewed the threads, hundreds had voiced regret and expressed condolences for Lee's family and friends.
Many folks remarked on Lee's vast knowledge of music, history and current events; his even-toned attitude and his wonderful sense of humor. I don't think Lee was aware of how many people he positively affected throughout his life. A couple of thousand folks are missing you, Lee. I love you. Kelley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can shed tears that he is gone
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
or you can be full of the love and friendship you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he's gone or you
can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
or you can do what he'd want: smile; open your eyes; love; and go on.
Since childhood he had a passion for music and talent for playing the drums. Lee was accepted by the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He was hired by the Glen Miller Band
in the 70's, they traveled the world giving performances and were occasionally given backstage passes to concerts of famous rock and roll stars. Playing the drums for years
and choosing not to wear any kind of protection for his hearing, he ended up wearing hearing aids for the rest of his life.
In 1993, Lee came across the book, "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara and to quote Lee, "I was hooked and there was no looking back". Research of the American Civil War
became his life-long hobby. He became a member of Civilwartalk.com using the screen name of William42, and eventually a moderator for the website. It was on this
site that we met, in 2008. Lee had changed his screen name to Glorybound and my screen name was/is Bonny Blue Flag (--BBF).
For the next 4 yrs we enjoyed sharing little
known facts of the war, bantering over actions of Generals and their battle reports and having fun with some of the more bizarre incidents that war brought, like "Fighting
Naked", an article Lee found in the Washington Times. (when crossing a river, the cavalry would keep their clothes dry by taking them off and placing them on the backs of their horses, then swim with their horses across the river. If the enemy came into sight during the crossing, no one would lose time getting dressed, they would grab their guns and start fighting!).
Lee also kept up with current sporting events, politics and of course, music. I gained alot of respect for him.
Lee was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He took medications to control his condition and medications to help him sleep. In his later years this became more problematic. Holding down a job and affording his medications was a constant issue. Every few days was a
rollercoaster ride. Some have described Lee has having quite a temper. I never saw it in our emails or when we lived together for 3 months. When he was with me, he was a gentleman. Our best times were sitting on my backporch, sharing beers and listening to Rangers baseball games. We would talk all night long.
Lee's favorite authors were Kurt Vonnegut and Ambrose Bierce. Using a quote from Bierce for his tagline on Civilwartalk and Historum, he chose this one: "Absurdity, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistant with one's own opinion." This pretty well describes the
life of a person with bipolar disorder.
Lee was with FedEx for 19 yrs. This gave him retirement income later on. One job he thought would answer his lack of funds would be as an Over-the-Road trucker. The
company he joined trained their drivers in the classroom, then on the road. Lee traveled with the company from Evansville, Indiana to Texas. It was in Lancaster, Tx that he was let go as an employee. With no funds to get back home and no where to live, I invited Lee to stay with me until he was back on his feet. It was a rollercoaster 3 months, but I would not trade them for anything.
Not wanting to stay put for long, Lee left Texas on a bus and went to Sacramento, California, a place he always wanted to see. We kept in touch every few days, mainly for me to check in with him to see that he was ok. Lee phoned me from time to time, talking about the natural beauty of our country he saw, from Texas to California.
Lee was homeless for a while after arriving in Sacramento. Eventually he got into a homeless shelter for men, received help with his medications and seemed to be at ease with himself. Lee told me he had in his wallet a list of names of who to contact in case anything happened to him, and my name was on that list.
Within a couple of months, he was ready to go back to Indiana. Again he was homeless for a while. It was during this time he checked into a hospital because of a bad episode of his bipolar disorder. I recieved a phone call from this hospital, wanting to know his medical and medication history. I was glad Lee was aware when to seek medical attention.
Eventually he moved to the home of his brother Gary in Evansville, Indiana. It was here he had his first heart attack. After having stents put in, he left the hospital
against medical advice, because he didn't have money to pay for more treatment.
Lee settled into the town of New Albany, Indiana, not far from extended family and within traveling distance to his brother, Gary, in Evansville. Lee rented an apartment and lived on his retirement from FedEx which was just barely making ends meet. He had several jobs, not able to stay with these companies for various reasons.
We kept in touch via text message. I regulary sent him a text saying, "Hey, Lee!" and he would text back, "Hey, sweetie!". Enough to keep us connected, to know we are out there keeping an eye on each other. At the end of every phone call and email we always ended with, "I love you."
The one mainstay of this phase of his life was a dog he bought at the local animal shelter. He named her Elizabeth, after an aunt. He called her Izzy, a mutt with a huge heart. With animals, Lee was loving and consistant. He continued contributing to sites such as
Historum.com and Civilwartalk.com.
On November 10th of this year, I received a call from a woman who stated she didnt know me but found my phone number in Lee's wallet along with the phone numbers of his boss and a neighborlady who agreed to take care of Izzy if Lee could not. Lee had experienced a massive heart attack, was in the hospital, on life support and had requested that he not be resusitated. The family had been called to come to the hospital. It was Lee's cousin Linda who called me. I asked her to please keep me updated and to call me back as soon as there were any changes in his condition.
I was on pins and needles for 24 hrs. Not hearing from her, I called Linda. There was no answer, so I left a message.
Had to run some errands and while in line at the grocery store, I suddenly felt a sensation of warmth, an almost overpowering feeling of love. When I returned home, Linda had left me a message. I called her back and she said Lee had passed away. It happened at the very time that I felt the warmth and almost overpowering love. I think Lee was telling me good-bye.
Linda said there would be no funeral service, only one viewing. The family decided this would be a very private affair.
On both Historum and Civilwartalk, I created a thread to announce Lee's demise. Within a 2 week period, over 2100 people had viewed the threads, hundreds had voiced regret and expressed condolences for Lee's family and friends.
Many folks remarked on Lee's vast knowledge of music, history and current events; his even-toned attitude and his wonderful sense of humor. I don't think Lee was aware of how many people he positively affected throughout his life. A couple of thousand folks are missing you, Lee. I love you. Kelley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can shed tears that he is gone
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
or you can be full of the love and friendship you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he's gone or you
can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
or you can do what he'd want: smile; open your eyes; love; and go on.
Lee graduated from Harrison High School in Evansville, Indiana in 1972.
Since childhood he had a passion for music and talent for playing the drums. Lee was accepted by the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He was hired by the Glen Miller Band
in the 70's, they traveled the world giving performances and were occasionally given backstage passes to concerts of famous rock and roll stars. Playing the drums for years
and choosing not to wear any kind of protection for his hearing, he ended up wearing hearing aids for the rest of his life.
In 1993, Lee came across the book, "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara and to quote Lee, "I was hooked and there was no looking back". Research of the American Civil War
became his life-long hobby. He became a member of Civilwartalk.com using the screen name of William42, and eventually a moderator for the website. It was on this
site that we met, in 2008. Lee had changed his screen name to Glorybound and my screen name was/is Bonny Blue Flag (--BBF).
For the next 4 yrs we enjoyed sharing little
known facts of the war, bantering over actions of Generals and their battle reports and having fun with some of the more bizarre incidents that war brought, like "Fighting
Naked", an article Lee found in the Washington Times. (when crossing a river, the cavalry would keep their clothes dry by taking them off and placing them on the backs of their horses, then swim with their horses across the river. If the enemy came into sight during the crossing, no one would lose time getting dressed, they would grab their guns and start fighting!).
Lee also kept up with current sporting events, politics and of course, music. I gained alot of respect for him.
Lee was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He took medications to control his condition and medications to help him sleep. In his later years this became more problematic. Holding down a job and affording his medications was a constant issue. Every few days was a
rollercoaster ride. Some have described Lee has having quite a temper. I never saw it in our emails or when we lived together for 3 months. When he was with me, he was a gentleman. Our best times were sitting on my backporch, sharing beers and listening to Rangers baseball games. We would talk all night long.
Lee's favorite authors were Kurt Vonnegut and Ambrose Bierce. Using a quote from Bierce for his tagline on Civilwartalk and Historum, he chose this one: "Absurdity, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistant with one's own opinion." This pretty well describes the
life of a person with bipolar disorder.
Lee was with FedEx for 19 yrs. This gave him retirement income later on. One job he thought would answer his lack of funds would be as an Over-the-Road trucker. The
company he joined trained their drivers in the classroom, then on the road. Lee traveled with the company from Evansville, Indiana to Texas. It was in Lancaster, Tx that he was let go as an employee. With no funds to get back home and no where to live, I invited Lee to stay with me until he was back on his feet. It was a rollercoaster 3 months, but I would not trade them for anything.
Not wanting to stay put for long, Lee left Texas on a bus and went to Sacramento, California, a place he always wanted to see. We kept in touch every few days, mainly for me to check in with him to see that he was ok. Lee phoned me from time to time, talking about the natural beauty of our country he saw, from Texas to California.
Lee was homeless for a while after arriving in Sacramento. Eventually he got into a homeless shelter for men, received help with his medications and seemed to be at ease with himself. Lee told me he had in his wallet a list of names of who to contact in case anything happened to him, and my name was on that list.
Within a couple of months, he was ready to go back to Indiana. Again he was homeless for a while. It was during this time he checked into a hospital because of a bad episode of his bipolar disorder. I recieved a phone call from this hospital, wanting to know his medical and medication history. I was glad Lee was aware when to seek medical attention.
Eventually he moved to the home of his brother Gary in Evansville, Indiana. It was here he had his first heart attack. After having stents put in, he left the hospital
against medical advice, because he didn't have money to pay for more treatment.
Lee settled into the town of New Albany, Indiana, not far from extended family and within traveling distance to his brother, Gary, in Evansville. Lee rented an apartment and lived on his retirement from FedEx which was just barely making ends meet. He had several jobs, not able to stay with these companies for various reasons.
We kept in touch via text message. I regulary sent him a text saying, "Hey, Lee!" and he would text back, "Hey, sweetie!". Enough to keep us connected, to know we are out there keeping an eye on each other. At the end of every phone call and email we always ended with, "I love you."
The one mainstay of this phase of his life was a dog he bought at the local animal shelter. He named her Elizabeth, after an aunt. He called her Izzy, a mutt with a huge heart. With animals, Lee was loving and consistant. He continued contributing to sites such as
Historum.com and Civilwartalk.com.
On November 10th of this year, I received a call from a woman who stated she didnt know me but found my phone number in Lee's wallet along with the phone numbers of his boss and a neighborlady who agreed to take care of Izzy if Lee could not. Lee had experienced a massive heart attack, was in the hospital, on life support and had requested that he not be resusitated. The family had been called to come to the hospital. It was Lee's cousin Linda who called me. I asked her to please keep me updated and to call me back as soon as there were any changes in his condition.
I was on pins and needles for 24 hrs. Not hearing from her, I called Linda. There was no answer, so I left a message.
Had to run some errands and while in line at the grocery store, I suddenly felt a sensation of warmth, an almost overpowering feeling of love. When I returned home, Linda had left me a message. I called her back and she said Lee had passed away. It happened at the very time that I felt the warmth and almost overpowering love. I think Lee was telling me good-bye.
Linda said there would be no funeral service, only one viewing. The family decided this would be a very private affair.
On both Historum and Civilwartalk, I created a thread to announce Lee's demise. Within a 2 week period, over 2100 people had viewed the threads, hundreds had voiced regret and expressed condolences for Lee's family and friends.
Many folks remarked on Lee's vast knowledge of music, history and current events; his even-toned attitude and his wonderful sense of humor. I don't think Lee was aware of how many people he positively affected throughout his life. A couple of thousand folks are missing you, Lee. I love you. Kelley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can shed tears that he is gone
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
or you can be full of the love and friendship you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he's gone or you
can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
or you can do what he'd want: smile; open your eyes; love; and go on.
Since childhood he had a passion for music and talent for playing the drums. Lee was accepted by the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He was hired by the Glen Miller Band
in the 70's, they traveled the world giving performances and were occasionally given backstage passes to concerts of famous rock and roll stars. Playing the drums for years
and choosing not to wear any kind of protection for his hearing, he ended up wearing hearing aids for the rest of his life.
In 1993, Lee came across the book, "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara and to quote Lee, "I was hooked and there was no looking back". Research of the American Civil War
became his life-long hobby. He became a member of Civilwartalk.com using the screen name of William42, and eventually a moderator for the website. It was on this
site that we met, in 2008. Lee had changed his screen name to Glorybound and my screen name was/is Bonny Blue Flag (--BBF).
For the next 4 yrs we enjoyed sharing little
known facts of the war, bantering over actions of Generals and their battle reports and having fun with some of the more bizarre incidents that war brought, like "Fighting
Naked", an article Lee found in the Washington Times. (when crossing a river, the cavalry would keep their clothes dry by taking them off and placing them on the backs of their horses, then swim with their horses across the river. If the enemy came into sight during the crossing, no one would lose time getting dressed, they would grab their guns and start fighting!).
Lee also kept up with current sporting events, politics and of course, music. I gained alot of respect for him.
Lee was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He took medications to control his condition and medications to help him sleep. In his later years this became more problematic. Holding down a job and affording his medications was a constant issue. Every few days was a
rollercoaster ride. Some have described Lee has having quite a temper. I never saw it in our emails or when we lived together for 3 months. When he was with me, he was a gentleman. Our best times were sitting on my backporch, sharing beers and listening to Rangers baseball games. We would talk all night long.
Lee's favorite authors were Kurt Vonnegut and Ambrose Bierce. Using a quote from Bierce for his tagline on Civilwartalk and Historum, he chose this one: "Absurdity, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistant with one's own opinion." This pretty well describes the
life of a person with bipolar disorder.
Lee was with FedEx for 19 yrs. This gave him retirement income later on. One job he thought would answer his lack of funds would be as an Over-the-Road trucker. The
company he joined trained their drivers in the classroom, then on the road. Lee traveled with the company from Evansville, Indiana to Texas. It was in Lancaster, Tx that he was let go as an employee. With no funds to get back home and no where to live, I invited Lee to stay with me until he was back on his feet. It was a rollercoaster 3 months, but I would not trade them for anything.
Not wanting to stay put for long, Lee left Texas on a bus and went to Sacramento, California, a place he always wanted to see. We kept in touch every few days, mainly for me to check in with him to see that he was ok. Lee phoned me from time to time, talking about the natural beauty of our country he saw, from Texas to California.
Lee was homeless for a while after arriving in Sacramento. Eventually he got into a homeless shelter for men, received help with his medications and seemed to be at ease with himself. Lee told me he had in his wallet a list of names of who to contact in case anything happened to him, and my name was on that list.
Within a couple of months, he was ready to go back to Indiana. Again he was homeless for a while. It was during this time he checked into a hospital because of a bad episode of his bipolar disorder. I recieved a phone call from this hospital, wanting to know his medical and medication history. I was glad Lee was aware when to seek medical attention.
Eventually he moved to the home of his brother Gary in Evansville, Indiana. It was here he had his first heart attack. After having stents put in, he left the hospital
against medical advice, because he didn't have money to pay for more treatment.
Lee settled into the town of New Albany, Indiana, not far from extended family and within traveling distance to his brother, Gary, in Evansville. Lee rented an apartment and lived on his retirement from FedEx which was just barely making ends meet. He had several jobs, not able to stay with these companies for various reasons.
We kept in touch via text message. I regulary sent him a text saying, "Hey, Lee!" and he would text back, "Hey, sweetie!". Enough to keep us connected, to know we are out there keeping an eye on each other. At the end of every phone call and email we always ended with, "I love you."
The one mainstay of this phase of his life was a dog he bought at the local animal shelter. He named her Elizabeth, after an aunt. He called her Izzy, a mutt with a huge heart. With animals, Lee was loving and consistant. He continued contributing to sites such as
Historum.com and Civilwartalk.com.
On November 10th of this year, I received a call from a woman who stated she didnt know me but found my phone number in Lee's wallet along with the phone numbers of his boss and a neighborlady who agreed to take care of Izzy if Lee could not. Lee had experienced a massive heart attack, was in the hospital, on life support and had requested that he not be resusitated. The family had been called to come to the hospital. It was Lee's cousin Linda who called me. I asked her to please keep me updated and to call me back as soon as there were any changes in his condition.
I was on pins and needles for 24 hrs. Not hearing from her, I called Linda. There was no answer, so I left a message.
Had to run some errands and while in line at the grocery store, I suddenly felt a sensation of warmth, an almost overpowering feeling of love. When I returned home, Linda had left me a message. I called her back and she said Lee had passed away. It happened at the very time that I felt the warmth and almost overpowering love. I think Lee was telling me good-bye.
Linda said there would be no funeral service, only one viewing. The family decided this would be a very private affair.
On both Historum and Civilwartalk, I created a thread to announce Lee's demise. Within a 2 week period, over 2100 people had viewed the threads, hundreds had voiced regret and expressed condolences for Lee's family and friends.
Many folks remarked on Lee's vast knowledge of music, history and current events; his even-toned attitude and his wonderful sense of humor. I don't think Lee was aware of how many people he positively affected throughout his life. A couple of thousand folks are missing you, Lee. I love you. Kelley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can shed tears that he is gone
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
or you can be full of the love and friendship you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he's gone or you
can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
or you can do what he'd want: smile; open your eyes; love; and go on.
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