Jeanne Lee

Too soon for all but God, heaven gained another angel, a beautiful wife, mother, sister and grandmother, when Jeanne Renee Lee passed away the evening of December 9 in Phoenix, Arizona, after a short but valiant battle with cancer.

Jeanne was born on February 5, 1966, in Minot, North Dakota to Leo and Teresa Klein. Family rumor has it that Jeanne was considered her Mom and Dad’s “love child” as she was only 2 months old when her father passed away. Her mother subsequently married Bill Lorenz. The result was that Jeanne was fortunate to grow up in a large, loving family with seven siblings – Cheryl, Connie, Allen, Linda, Nancy, Lori and Billy! Jeanne grew up in Sawyer, North Dakota, attending Sawyer Public Schools and graduating in 1984. While in school, Jeanne excelled in basketball and cheerleading, and participated in countless other activities in which she always stood out. Her smile and personality were infectious, and she was always quick to do that little something extra to make someone’s day seem special. Growing up Jeanne loved spending time at Lake Sakakawea with family camping and fishing, or simply relishing being in God’s outdoors.

After graduating from high school, Jeanne went to work for AVCO Financial in Minot, North Dakota. Although her clients and bosses loved her, Jeanne was destined for bigger things and moved to Billings, Montana, to work for the Scott Family at First Interstate Bank. Her amazing knowledge and interpersonal skills allowed her to quickly advance to Assistant Vice President. During that time, she started handling the banking for a “young” Crowley Fleck lawyer named John Lee. On December 31, 1999, Jeanne and John went on their first date, a New Year’s Eve party at Hilands Country Club. On June 18, 2000, Jeanne married the love of her life when she and John were married on Paradise Island, the Bahamas, in the presence of Ryan, John’s son from a prior marriage.

Jeanne continued to work as an AVP at First Interstate Bank, but on August 9, 2002, she was blessed with the birth of her son, Logan Alan Lee. She did double duty as Mom and AVP until 2012, when she retired from the Bank. In the following years her time was spent being a wonderful wife and mom, chasing around the country supporting Logan’s baseball and hockey endeavors. There was never a place she wouldn’t travel to in support of her son, be it the Little League Regional Finals in San Bernardino, California, or hockey anywhere in Canada, the Rocky Mountain West, the Midwest or the East Coast. She was always quick to sacrifice “Jeanne time” for “Logan time” and was blessed with making many wonderful friends along the way.

When Jeanne had free time, which wasn’t much, she had many loves. Probably her most passionate pastime was cooking and baking. Her meals and dishes were always amazing – they were always made from the heart, and most times a recipe wasn’t necessary. She probably missed her calling, as she could have easily been a master chef had she put her mind to it. She also had a knack for decorating and gardening, and loved to take her rescue dogs, Jersey, Marley and Oshie, on long walks or the occasional trip to Culver’s for “pup cups”!!

Jeanne loved to travel. Although she was fortunate enough to experience many places, her first love was anywhere she could hear the ocean, and if there was an adventure involved, so much the better! The Caribbean was her favorite, having been to Jamaica, Turks & Caicos, Aruba and Bonaire many times. She had just gone on an extended cruise to Italy and the Mediterranean. Next up was the South Pacific, but now she will have a much better cruise director for that adventure.

As one might expect, Jeanne had a close-knit group of friends ranging from her childhood years in North Dakota, to her 30 years living in Billings, Montana, her multitude of friends developed during the course of all the hockey families she has been a part of through the years, and her time since moving to Arizona seven years ago. She cherished them all, in many different ways.

Jeanne was preceded in death by her mother, Teresa Klein, and her father, Leo Klein; her sister, Cheryl (Terry) Eshenko, her stepfather William Lorenz and nephew Patrick Knorr. Jeanne is survived by her husband, John, son, Logan, stepson Ryan (Kelsey), siblings Connie (Paul) Knorr, Allen (Jenalee) Klein, Linda (Lee) Amon, Nancy (William) Kopp, Lori (Wayne) Burbach, and Billy (Gerri) Lorenz, granddaughters Makenna Lee, Paysen Lee, Emersyn Lee and Raeghan Lee, sisters in law Bonnie (Phil) Harmeson and Sherryl Abplanalp.

Cremation has taken place, and in accordance with Jeanne’s wishes, her ashes will be spread in the Caribbean along with the ashes of Jersey, her first rescue dog, so they will be able to greet each other across the Rainbow Bridge. A Celebration of Life (date and location to be determined) will be held in Minot, North Dakota, late next spring.

In lieu of flowers, if you are so inclined, donations may be made to Ghost Town Dog Rescue, 3640 East Main Street, Mesa, Arizona 85205. Jeanne adopted her last rescue dog, Oshie, there three years ago. If you would like to share a testimonial, that can be done on the website of Meldrum Mortuary and Crematory, www.meldrummortuary.com.

Our gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff at Mayo Clinic and Hospital who did everything in their power to keep Jeanne alive through her ordeal.

Fly free our love, forever.