Arthur Lee, 89, Minot, died Wednesday, July 18, 2012, in a Minot hospital.
Arthur was born July 20, 1922, in Palermo, to the Rev. Aslack and Clara (Gunderson) Lee. In 1928 their family moved to Minot and he graduated from Minot Model High School in 1943.
Arthur entered the Army on Feb. 25, 1943. He served until his honorable discharge on Dec. 26, 1945, and returned to North Dakota. He then attended Minot State Teachers College. From 1946 through 1949 he played center and middle linebacker for the Beavers and was All Conference each year. He graduated from Minot State in 1950 and in the fall of 1981 was inducted into the Minot State Athletic Hall of Fame for football.
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He worked for Emery Johnson out of Fargo, selling sporting goods. He then purchased Northwest Sporting Goods in Minot, which he owned and operated until he retired.
Arthur married Beverlee Hamilton on Dec. 10, 1954, in Minot, and together they had three children, Lisa, Tom and Todd.
He truly loved his family and the times spent with them. He was an avid golfer and enjoyed golfing with his grandsons. At the age of 83, he shot an 81. He was an avid sports fan and loved following the Minot State University athletics and the Minot High School athletic programs. It was said he only missed five games over his lifetime.
Arthur was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, Minot. Since 1954 he was a member of the Minot Country Club. He was former president of the Beaver Boosters and was a member of the Elks Lodge, Eagles Aerie, Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion.
Art sometimes enjoyed being the center of attention during his storytelling times. He loved to tell stories and enjoyed watching people laugh. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and friend, who will be deeply missed.
Those who shared in his life: Loving wife, Beverlee, Minot; daughter, Lisa (Roger) Cole, Minot; sons, Tom Lee, Los Angeles, and Todd (Kim) Lee, Minot; four grandchildren, Derek (Laura) Cole, Joshua Cole and his fiancee, Alyssa Bostow, Nicklaus Lee and his fiancee, Breanna Theusch, and Chelsea Kay Lee; two great-grandchildren, Cooper Scott Arthur Lee and Aspyn Elizabeth Kathryn Lee; sister, Marie C. Johannson, and sister-in-law, Pauline Lee, both of Minot; and several nieces and nephews.
Arthur was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Gunder, Iver, Selmer, Harold and George Lee; and sister, Thona Strong.
Memorial service: Friday, July 20, 2012, at 2 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, Minot.
Visitation: There will be no reviewal, but friends may sign the guest register, today, July 19, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Thompson-Larson Funeral Home, Minot.
Those wishing to sign the online guest register or share memories of Arthur may access the online obituaries at (www.thompsonlarson.com).
Memorials: Memorials are preferred to the Alzheimer's Association, 7900 West 78th St. Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55439; the Minot State Beaver Booster Club, or to Zion Lutheran Church, Minot.
