Donald Edward Lee

Funeral services for Donald Lee, 82, of Portales, will be held at 2:00 PM, Thurs., May 5, 2022 at the Church of God in Portales with George Smith and Pastor Don Hay officiating.  Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Jason Raines, Trevor Raines, Tristan Raines, Pacey Raines, Stephan Jones, Gevyn Rasco, Cesar Sotelo and Chucky Hernandez serving as pallbearers.  His great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren along with his lifelong friend, Carl Oster will be honorary pallbearers.

Donald Edward Lee was born Aug. 19, 1939 near Roswell, NM to the home of Mary Frances (Havins) and Robert Jasper Lee, and died on the evening of Fri., April 29, 2022 in Clovis, NM.  The majority of his early years were spent in Portales.  He was a 1957 graduate of Portales High School.  Following his graduation, he attended a school in Colorado to become a telegrapher.  In the early 1960’s he was drafted into the US Army, and served for two years.  On Mar. 2, 1963, in Clovis, he was married to Shirley Inez Evanick.  Their first home was in Killeen, TX where he was stationed at Fort Hood.  Following his discharge, they returned to Portales.

Mr. Lee was the very first cook at K-Bob’s Steak House in Clovis.  Later he cooked at the Hiway 70 Truck Stop in Portales.  In the late 1970’s he began driving a school bus, and continued doing that until the mid-1990’s.  Mr. Lee thoroughly enjoyed going to garage sales, and would buy things there that he could resell to make a little extra money.  In addition, he would often purchase things specifically for a family member or friend that had told him of a need they had.  In later years, while he was living in an assisted living facility in Clovis, he would maneuver his electric wheel chair to the nearby Good Will Store every day to see what bargains he could find.  Mr. Lee was never a formal member of any church, but several years ago, he asked a friend to come to his home and lead him to the Lord.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley of Portales; his son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Bertha Lee of Portales; a daughter, Brenda Lee of Portales; five grandchildren, Gevyn Rasco of Portales, Ruben (Crystal) Natividad of Moncks Corner, SC, and Norma (Santiago, Jr.) Hernandez, Maribel Natividad, and Genaro (Dylilah) Sigala all of Portales; nine great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren; two brothers, Bobby Lee of Roswell and Stanley Lee of Midland, TX; three sisters, Helen Lott of Roswell and Kay Burleson and Betty Andes both of Portales; a number of nieces and nephews and by his lifelong friend, Carl Oster also of Portales.  He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Bill Lee.

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