Mt. Prospect school volunteer dies
To his friends and family, Harold Dean Lee was known as Dean.
To the students at Lions Park School in Mount Prospect, he was "Grandpa" or "Grandpa Lee."
Lee volunteered at the school for 13 years after his retirement from the sporting goods industry, helping kids with reading, teaching them about character and, if he could, building their self-esteem.
Lee was beloved by the young people he met at school. They'd often visit him at his Mount Prospect home and run to him exuberantly if they spotted him at the Randhurst Shopping Center, recalled his daughter, Betsy Duncan.
"He just always had time for the kids," Duncan said.
Lee, 89, died in his sleep Thursday. He had suffered from Alzheimer's disease and other chronic ailments, his daughter said.
Born in Chicago, Lee was raised in downstate Canton, southwest of Peoria. Lee enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and married his late wife, Hilda, before going overseas. He served in England, France, Germany and Austria.
Lee fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was wounded during the war, but he did not speak much about his battlefield experiences after coming home, Duncan said.
After returning to civilian life, Lee worked as a sporting goods salesman and eventually settled in Chicago as the branch manager for Rawlings Sporting Goods.
He had the honor of presenting the company's Gold Glove Awards - given to outstanding fielders - for many years to members of the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox at their respective stadiums, Duncan recalled.
"He was very excited about doing that," Duncan said of her dad, a baseball fan. "He was tickled to do it."
Lee left Rawlings in 1964 to form his own sporting goods firm, the Dean Lee Co. He retired from the day-to-day operations of the company in 1986.
It was then that Lee began volunteering at Lions Park School.
"He spoke to students in classroom groups about good character and how being trustworthy, dependable, respectful and caring would lead them to success in their school lives and beyond," Principal Kris Gritzmacher said in an e-mail Sunday. "He modeled all the positive character traits (that) he spoke about in all of his interactions with students, staff and parents."
Lee's efforts were recognized with a "Champion of Youth" award from the village in 2003. He received other community awards as well.
He stopped volunteering in 2007 or 2008 because of his health. Despite time passing, he is still warmly regarded at the school.
"He is a man who gave so much and asked for nothing in return," Gritzmacher said. "However, what he got in return was the love and adoration of those who knew him, and a positive legacy that will live on in the memories of many."
Visitation is scheduled to run from 3 to 9 p.m. today at Friedrichs Funeral Home, 320 W. Central Road, Mount Prospect.
A second visitation will run from 10 to 11 a.m. at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 200 S. Wille St., Mount Prospect. The funeral is set for 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church.
Burial will follow at Memory Gardens in Arlington Heights.
Lee is survived by his daughter and a granddaughter.
Instead of flowers, memorials in Lee's name may be sent to the District 57 Education Foundation, care of Mount Prospect Elementary District 57, 701 W. Gregory St., Mount Prospect, IL 60056.