Asheville – Walter Hatch Lee, died Sunday (June 4, 2007) at age 85. He was the son of the late L. Lyons Lee and Virginia Griffith Miller. A native of Asheville, he graduated from Lee H. Edwards High School and attended The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., for two years before enlisting in the 82nd Airborne Division. After serving as a paratrooper during World War II, he returned home and married Margaret Hairston of Raleigh, then returned to the Citadel, graduating in 1948. He was president of Asheville Ice and Storage Company, a family business started by his grandfather, Harmon Ayres Miller, and later founded Ice Service, Inc., a group of convenience stores. During his active years in the community, Lee served on the vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church, was a member of the Rhododendron Royal Brigade of Guards, where he served as a chief of staff and later a Knight of the Laurel, member of the Society of the Cincinnati, and Biltmore Forest Country Club. A great lover of all wildlife and the WNC mountains, he also served on the Governor ‘ s NC National Park, Parkway, and Forest Development Commission from 1971-1977. He was a member of the WNC Horseman ‘ s Association and Draft Horse Association. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Margaret Hairston Lee, daughters Margaret Lee Davis and husband Jay, and Sallie Lee, two granddaughters, Margaret Shelby Haggard and Julia Lyman Davis, eight nieces and three nephews. There will be a memorial service on Thursday, June 7th at 1 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, followed by a reception at Crowfields Club House on Hendersonville Road. The family will be receiving at their home at Crowfields on Wednesday from 5-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to one of the following: the Asheville Humane Society, 72 Lees Creek Road, Asheville 28806; Riverlink, P.O. Box 15488, Asheville 28813-0488; or, Trinity Episcopal Church, 60 Church Street, Asheville, 28801. Morris Funeral Home, 304 Merrimon Avenue, is assisting the family. Condolences may be sent through the website at www.morrisfamilyfuneralhome.com.
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