LEE HALLIDAY SPENCER

               February 10, 1947 - March 21, 2020  

                             Residence: Oro Valley, Arizona

Lee was an animal lover, a man of wonderful humor, a fantastic hugger, a sports fanatic, and someone whose smile and energy brightened every room he was in.

Lee Halliday Spencer was born February 10, 1947, in Oakland, California to Henrietta and Bud (Emerson) Spencer whose joy and family were made complete with his arrival. Together with Lee's older brother, Lane, they moved to Palo Alto when Lee was 4 years old. This is where he would first grow his love of his hometown Evergreen's at Stanford University. Lee attended school in Palo Alto where he played baseball, was a member of the Boys League, and was known in his community as "the Bee" because he was the fastest walker they knew! Growing up, Lee adopted the first of many nicknames he would receive throughout this life as a marker of his good humor and the warmth he shared with everyone who knew him.

From Palo Alto, Lee traveled up to Walla Walla, Washington to attend Whitman College where he made memories and friends that would ultimately last his entire life before returning to California and UCSB to earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Leemeister, the nickname given by his college friends, started his first job as a programmer with Carter Associates and was quickly elevated to Vice President. As a professional there is nothing Lee couldn't take on and at one point he was running a restaurant, managing a photo inventory business, contracting as a programmer, and taking on fatherhood.

Of the great, defining moments of Lee's life were the births of his two sons - Kyle and Randy. He enjoyed anything and everything with them from winter ski trips, spring training and coaching their baseball teams, summertime water skiing and fishing, and of course playing golf any time of the year. Their mutual love of sports was most recently celebrated at the glorious 2019 Masters Tournament when Tiger Woods made his comeback because he knew Lee and Kyle were cheering him on from only a few feet away. Lee cherished every stage of life with them. He loved when Kyle made him a grandfather and gave him the name Papa Lee. Randy's career as a hospital administrator brought him immense joy and pride. Near or far, he thought of them everyday with unconditional love and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for them.

Lee was a wonderful support to everyone he knew. In his marriage with Kathy he loved her through so many daily actions, embraced their life together, and was always ready for every adventure. His easy going, fun loving nature made everything better! He loved camping, hosting pool parties, going on annual trips to the beach, manning the barbeque like a pro, and watching squirrels in their backyard. Lee loved every animal he ever saw, especially wanted a pet chipmunk, and never met a dog that he didn't like.

The love of animals was second only to Lee's passion for golf. He was an active member of the Inland Empire Senior Golf Association (IESGA), a board member, the webmaster, and served as the tournament chairman for 9 years. He and Kathy even bought a house in Oro Valley, Arizona so that Lee could enjoy year round play. With six months a year in Arizona, Lee was bound to make more friends and earned another nickname, Lee Bob, where he was known for his bartending skills and amazing ability to golf with anyone, regardless of ability, because Lee had incredible patience.

Lee died on March 21, 2020 in Oro Valley, Arizona at the age of 73. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Kathy, children Kyle, Randy, Sara, and John, their respective spouses Adrianne, Kate, Don, and Carey, grandchildren Colin, Jake, and Maxx, and former wife Lynne Spencer.

From birth to death Lee was a wonderful man - honest, loyal, and kind. He will stay in our hearts and will be missed immeasurably.

The family hosted a celebration of life on Saturday, August 8 in Rathdrum, Idaho.  In lieu of flowers, please donate in honor of Lee Spencer to Spokanimal, www.spokanimal.org.

Published in Spokesman-Review on Jul. 19, 2020.