Dustin Lee
Nov. 18, 1985-April 6, 2021
Dustin Michael Lee of
North Liberty, Iowa, form-
erly of Burlington, North
Dakota passed away unex-
pectedly but peacefully in
his sleep on April 6, 2021
at the young age of 35.
Dustin’s family held a
private time to say good-
bye, surrounded by the
love and support of each
other. Honoring his
wishes, cremation has tak-
en place and there will be
no formal services. In lieu
of flowers, memorial do-
nations can be made to a
GoFundMe campaign that
has been set up for Erin
and Zane
(https://gofund.me/
37520cde)
Dustin was born No-
vember 18, 1985 in Minot,
North Dakota to Robert
and Kathy (Trondson)
Lee. He was raised in Bur-
lington and graduated
from Des Lacs Burlington
High School. After high
school, he began working
at a few local restaurants,
where he was loved by all
customers for his fun, lov-
ing and outgoing per-
sonality. He eventually
went on and furthered his
education at Minot State
University, where he
earned his bachelor’s de-
gree in sociology and
psychology in 2015.
While Dustin worked
towards his academic
goals, he met the love of
his life, Erin James, and
became a devoted and
loving father to their son
Zane. The family of three
moved to North Liberty,
Iowa after Dustin was ac-
cepted into graduate
school at The University
of Iowa. He was on his
way to earning his PhD in
Sociology at the Universi-ty of Iowa at the time of
his death. Dustin was
known in the department
for his humor and kind-
ness, and he was a devot-
ed Teaching Assistant to
undergraduate students.
A man amongst men,
Dustin was someone who
could talk to anyone in
any situation and knew to
not expect anything less,
even as a child. Without
any preparation, he could
give a speech to any
crowd of any size and it
would be exemplary, such
as his father’s eulogy
when he was thirteen
years old. He passed these
traits on to Zane, along
with the many other great
qualities he was loved for.
He was a wonderful writ-
er and a lifelong reader
and learner, hoping to be-
come a college professor
after graduate school.
Dustin loved nothing
more than his family and
even after living miles
away, he continued to let
his love for them be
known. Life only got
better when he became a
father as he and Zane did
everything together, such
as play video games, even
though mom may not
have been all for them.
Aside from spending time
with family, he enjoyed
reading, playing golf, and
watching anime with his
son.
He is survived by: his
significant other Erin
James of 13 years, and
their 11-year-old son Zane
Lee, both of North Liberty,
IA; his mother Kathy Lee
of Burlington, ND; two
sisters Tonya
Ratcliffe-Allen of And-
over, KS, and Patricia
(Matt) Wilkerson of Lafay-
ette, IN; uncles Willie
“Rudy” Trondson
(Dawn-Anne) and Dr.
Troy Trondson, as well as
his aunt Tammy (Mike)
Steinberger, and many ex-
tended family members.
He was preceded in
death by: his father,
Robert E. Lee; paternal
grandparents Sal and Pau-
line “Pinky” Lee and
maternal grandparents
Willie and Rosie Trond-
son.
Online condolences and
memories of Dustin may
be shared with his family
at
www.lensingfuneral.com.