Obituary of Robert Lee

Robert E. Lee was born in LaFollette, Tennessee on July 17, 1936. He was the son of the late James Earl Lee and the late Della (Williams) Lee. He moved to Michigan at a young age to find work. At the age of seventeen he began working for William Noland and Sons. Robert was a hard worker, and he soon became an extremely talented Heavy Equipment Operator. He was a member of the Operating Engineers Local 324. Bobby could run grade by sight and was involved in the construction of numerous projects throughout Monroe County. In the 1980's he was self-employed as the owner and operator of Robert E. Lee Trucking. Although, he held several other jobs throughout the years, Bobby always found his way back to the Noland Family. He married Billie Monday in October of 1971. Bobby was quite the character. He could tell tall tales, and was wise to the ways of the world. He loved the outdoors no matter what the weather held. One of his favorite pastimes was sitting outside in a lawn chair drinking a Pabst Blue Ribbon, and cheering on his Detroit Tigers. He was an avid lottery player. Bobby pulled no punches he was serious and to the point, a no nonsense kind of guy. He also loved to fish and as a young man enjoyed hunting. Robert E. "Bobby" Lee age 76 of Monroe passed away peacefully on Monday, June 24, 2013. To cherish his memory, Bobby leaves one daughter: Billie "Joni" Lee of Monroe; one son: James Lee of Carleton; one stepson: Rodney (Sue) Edwards of LaFollette, Tennessee; two stepdaughters: Bonnie (Dan) Trombley Newport and Rissa (Patrick) Bain of Monroe; two brothers: Ewelle and George Lee both of LaFollette, Tennessee; three sisters: Frankie Huddleston of Cleveland, Ohio, Lucille Lee of LaFollette, Tennessee, and Mable Caton of Flint, Michigan; numerous stepbrothers and stepsisters; and three grandchildren: Bobby Lee, Nicole Nicolai, and Billy Lee. Friends may gather from 3:00-6:00pm, Thursday, June 27, 2013 at Merkle Funeral Service, 2442 North Monroe Street (734) 384-5185. A Celebration of His Life will follow at 6:00pm with the Reverend Roy Southerland pastor of Monroe Missionary Baptist Church officiating. Cremation will follow. In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to the family to assist with funeral expenses. Online guests may leave words of inspiration and comfort, share a photo, or make a donation by visiting www.merklefs.com and then selecting the Online Tributes page.