Bobby Dale Lee

Bobby Dale Lee, of Groesbeck, went to be with Jesus on Friday, November 13, 2020, at age 78.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, November 15, 2020 in the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel, from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 16, 2020 in the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel, with Pastor Randy Ayres officiating.   Burial will follow, with full military honors provided by the Air Force, at Lost Prairie Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Dennis Morrison, Pete Sims, Mike Penny, Jerod Duffield, Danny Hewitt and Keith Lee.   Honorary pallbearers will be “The afternoon Coffee Club Bunch.”

Bobby was born October 23, 1942 to Joe Albert Lee and Lillian (Speed) Lee in Fairfield and grew up attending school in Fairfield.

Bobby joined the U.S. Air Force in 1963, serving during the Vietnam war in Taiwan, and many other air force bases during his military career.  

While he was stationed in Louisiana, Bobby was introduced to Patsy Rutledge by relatives.   He was Patsy’s first and only date, and the love of her life.   They were united in marriage about a year later, after many trips he made back and forth from Louisiana, and at least one narrow miss with cows on the road not stopping him.   They had to move their planned wedding date up due to his new orders to be shipped overseas.   Bobby and Patsy were united in marriage on June 3, 1966 at the preacher’s house in Fairfield, and after a two-week honeymoon he was shipped out.

Bobby continued with a career in the USAF for twenty-one years, serving after Taiwan in Okinawa, and then in Louisiana, South Carolina, Indiana, and finally in Austin, with his family making these moves with him.   They lived in Austin until he retired in 1981, and then Bobby and Patsy moved to her hometown of Groesbeck. 

They built their house themselves at Center near Groesbeck.  Bobby went to work for Mexia State School, working at Camp Rip at Lake Mexia for twenty more years.   He maintained the cabins for the clients to come to the camp, make repairs when needed, performed the landscaping and kept the paddleboats in order, and did the cooking.    He would serve busloads of the MSS clients with ice cream cones, and they thoroughly enjoyed the Camp Rip outing, as well as Bobby enjoyed the time with them until retiring in 2005.

Bobby was a natural at fixing things.   If he couldn’t figure out how to fix something, such as wiring, he would read up on it or talk to someone until he could do the job.  He loved working with his hands.

He was always involved with his daughter Lori’s activities while she was growing up and then with his granddaughter, Makenzee.   He took her 4-wheeling and they searched for arrowheads and petrified wood, creating a close bond with each other.   He also was her driver to and from school when she attended private school and then stayed with her grandparents after school, further creating a great bond with them.

Bobby and Patsy enjoyed road trips, traveling to Colorado every summer for a long time, and with all the family to Galveston many times.  He enjoyed eating out at restaurants or cooking steaks at home on the firepit. 

He never met a stranger.   He really enjoyed going to the afternoon coffee group meetings, from the time he was working at Camp Rip throughout his retirement.  This "Coffee Club Bunch" met at Josies, then Dairy Queen, later S&H and currently at Mi Rancho.  He became close friends with this group of men.    

Bobby loved going to church, originally at Living Word, and then at Word of Life in Groesbeck, and he loved his church family.

Bobby was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Larry Daniel Lee (at 2 years, 8 months old); and two brothers, Milton Ritter and Joe Wallace Lee.

He is survived by his wife, Patsy Lee of Groesbeck; daughter and son-in-law, Lori and Johnny Lowther of Groesbeck; granddaughter,  Makenzee Lowther;  brother and sister-in-law, John David and Marsha Lee of Mesquite; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.