Local dentist was WWII Air Force vet
After graduating from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1953, Robert E. Lee of Batavia began his career as a dentist in the same Aurora building where his father had practiced medicine and his father-in-law had practiced dentistry.
A long-time member of the Congregational Church of Batavia, he enjoyed attending the Saturday morning men's Bible study during his retirement years.
Lee served his community in various ways. He was elected to the Batavia school board in 1966 and served as its president from 1969 to 1972.
Lee died at his Batavia home Tuesday at the age of 84. He will be remembered by family and friends as one who was always ready with a joke, a great dancer and a lover of big band music, and a man who loved his family.
"He was a dedicated father," said son Mark Lee of Batavia. "I felt lucky that he came home every night. It was great to have him around."
"We took extensive vacations as a family," Lee added. "He pulled an Airstream trailer. He actually majored in American history as an undergraduate and we always seemed to be going past battlefields."
"He was the kind of person who lit up a room," Lee said. "He had a big smile and a large repertoire of jokes for varied audiences."
Lee was born April 9, 1924, in Aurora to Emmett Lehr Lee, M.D. and Sylvia Chenoweth Lee. He attended Aurora schools and graduated high school from Culver Military Academy in Culver, Ind., in 1942. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II in the 8th Air Force based in England.
Lee obtained his bachelor's degree at Ohio State University, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, and graduated in 1949. He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1953 and practiced until 1996.
Mark Lee said as far as the family knows, despite his father's name there is no connection to the Civil War general. Indeed, his father's middle name is Emmett while the general's is Edward.
In addition to his private practice, Lee served as an associate professor in the department of periodontics at the University of Illinois from 1964 to 1988. Mark Lee had him as an instructor.
"I was fortunate to follow in his footsteps," said Lee, who is now a dentist in Batavia. "My fellow students told me they thought he was tough but fair."
In addition to Mark, Lee is survived by his wife, Geraldine (Matthews), whom he married in 1945; his son William Emmett Lee of Santa Fe, N.M., and four grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Nancy Lee Sayers, and a brother and sister, as well as his parents.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Congregational Church of Batavia, 21 S. Batavia Ave.