Cornelia E. Lee's Obituary
Cornelia (Connie) Ellis Lee, 93, went to be with the Lord July 13, 2018 in Memphis, Tennessee.Connie was born in Apex, North Carolina on March 27, 1925. She was the daughter of the late Lonnie Ellis and Zelma Ellis Passmore. Connie was a graduate of Green Hope High School and attended East Carolina University before heading to Baltimore, MD to help with the war effort. There she met the love of her life, Woodrow Wilson Lee, and they enjoyed more than 52 years of marriage.In 1948, Connie and Wilson relocated to Memphis, Tennessee where she invested most of her time into raising her four children, Richard Lee (Jill), Ronnie Lee (Judy), Barbara Lee Arnold (Tommy), and Patricia Lee Cook (Lloyd). Connie also poured herself into the role of grandmother and great-grandmother to Bren Lee, Brian Lee, Lauren Beavers, Matt Lee, Adriane Lee, Corbin Cook, Kristen Cook, Tommy Arnold, Eliza Lee, Hayden Lee, Nathan Merrill, Ella Kate Beavers, Caroline Beavers, Blair Beavers, and Odin Arnold. As a point of pride – Connie was proclaimed the “Queen Bee,” and carried out this role in exceptional fashion.Connie was a friend to many and was known for her commitment and devotion to her family, for her passion for life, her readiness to help a friend or stranger, her integrity and strength of character, and her strong Christian faith.As a devoted member of Bartlett Hills Baptist Church formerly Raleigh Baptist Church for over 60 years, Connie served her church is many ways. She was a dedicated Sunday School teacher investing herself into the lives of thousands and thousands of elementary school children over the course of 40 years. Connie also operated the Calvary clothing mission on Lamar Avenue for many years helping to clothe underprivileged families while sharing her faith in Jesus.Connie was Past-President and an active member of the Memphis Doll Club for many years traveling to doll conventions across the country. She was also a long-standing member of the Nineteenth Century Club, Order of Eastern Star, Mizpah Chapter No. 62. She enjoyed many friendships from her association with these organizations.Her love of history was illustrated by her memberships in historical societies. Connie was a member of the River City Daughters of the American Revolution. She was also Past-President of the General Forrest Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and provided support and leadership to the Mary Forrest Bradley Chapter of the Children of the Confederacy.Year after year, Connie greeted tens of thousands of guests to the City of Memphis as a devoted volunteer of The Wonders Cultural Exhibitions hosted by the City of Memphis some years ago. Her lively and spirited personality made her a great ambassador for the City of Memphis.Connie became an accomplished world-traveler and spent many years exploring the world in over 38 countries.She dedicated her life to serving others in Christian and civic organizations. A life well lived.The family will receive friends on Thursday, July 17 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. with the service to be held on Wednesday, July 18 at 10:00 a.m. All services will be held at Memorial Park. To view the memorial video, please click the following link:https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/77CJXF23LMZ4TRH6
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