Dorothy Lowry Lee

Dorothy Lowry Lee, born August 7th, 1921, passed away at the age of 102 in Gainesville, Florida on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023. Dorothy was born and raised in Fort Pierce, Florida and spent many years in Okeechobee and Kenansville before moving to Gainesville to be close to family. Dorothy was a third generation native Floridian.She came from a large family that was very important to her, and she maintained close connections with them throughout her later years. Dorothy was especially close with her brothers Jack (Inez), Douglas (Eva) and Robert "Bobby" (Osann), and her sisters Bessie (Elmo), Minnie Lea (Junior), Laura (Dean) and Connie (J.L.), all of whom preceded her in death.She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 45 years, Wilford Leion "Buck" Lee. Dorothy was a devoted wife and mother. She had two children, John Allen "Butch" (Jean) and Charles Leon "Charlie" (Alice) Lee. Dorothy and Buck owned and operated a small community store, Lee's Market, in Kenansville, Florida for over 30 years. The grocery store and gas station tailored to the needs of the close knit community.She was a very strong, independent, and resilient individual who was a two-time cancer survivor. Dorothy takes with her and leaves behind many wonderful memories. She loved plants and appreciated beautiful flowers. She was fascinated by the number of birds that routinely visited her feeder. She especially enjoyed having hot tea each morning and afternoon. Dorothy enjoyed taking short trips to the mountains and to visit family. She loved spoiling her grandchildren with candy from the store. She was especially proud of the successes of her grandchildren. Dorothy was very particular about her appearance and took pleasure in getting her hair done each Friday. She enjoyed the large family Thanksgiving gatherings where she always provided her special Watergate salad. She looked forward to her weekly Sunday phone calls and appreciated the effort family came to visit her wherever she lived. Surprisingly, Dorothy was a sports fan who avidly followed Gator football and weekend professional golf tournaments.She leaves behind a loving son Charlie and daughter-in-law Alice, along with her grandchildren Robin Isabelle Lee, Charles "Chad" Leon Lee Jr., Heather Lee Bjorn, Anna Lee Hoge, and Megan Ryan Lee. She also leaves behind 11 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren.Services will be October 9th, 2023, at 1:00pm at the First Missionary Baptist Church of Kenansville, with a grave site service immediately following at the Kenansville Cemetery. Arrangements made in the care of Milam Funeral Home. www.milamfh.com