Lee Richard Parks, 75, of Lambertville, NJ, died peacefully on Tuesday, June 16, 2015, at the De Rham Hospice House in Cambridge, MA, following a stroke and complications related to heart disease.

Born in Grand Island, Nebraska on December 7, 1939, Lee was raised there and in Omaha. He attended Omaha University for one year before receiving his BA (1961) and his MA (1963) in English from the University of Nebraska. Go Big Red!

Lee came to New Brunswick, NJ in 1963 to work on a PhD at Rutgers University. He completed his studies, ABD, in 1970. During these years Lee taught undergraduate English at the University of Nebraska, Rutgers University and Wisconsin State University at Whitewater.

He married Leanne Joseph on December 27, 1966 and they lived in Wisconsin briefly before returning to New Jersey. They settled in Lambertville in 1977, where they raised two daughters and remained for the rest of their lives.

Lee worked as an Editor, publishing books and public relations materials for the New Jersey Historical Commission from 1975 to 1997. He worked briefly as a Technical Writer with Princeton Softech, and then retired from work in 2000.

A writer from the age of four, Lee’s short fiction and several poems were featured in various publications. He worked off and on on a number of longer fiction projects, including a novel that he completed and was planning to
publish.

As an active member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church since 1985, Lee served on the Vestry for 12 years in the roles of Sr. Warden, Treasurer and Communications Chair. He was a tenor in the church choir and a frequent delegate to the Diocesan Convention.

Lee will be remembered for his wry sense of humor, wit, charm, love of words and language, incredible memory, and ability to playfully (and sometimes very seriously) debate on many subjects and ideas. He loved reading, writing, singing, the Yankees, listening to opera, and telling stories. A loving and gentle husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and friend, Lee will be missed by everyone who knew him.

Lee was predeceased by his wife Leanne and his parents C. Rex Parks and Merle Davis Parks, He is survived by his daughters Jennifer Parks (Haidee Janak) of Boston and Julia Parks (James Chekos) of Rowley< MA; his grandchildren Josten and Quinn Janak-Parks; his sister Patricia Gregory (Thomas) of Waukesha, WI, a brother-in-law Stanley Joseph (Dorothy Doktor) of Canaan, NY; a sister-in-law Marilyn Liebowitz of Encinitas, CA, three nieces, two grand-nieces and several cousins.

Burial Office and Eucharist of the Resurrection will be offered on Sunday, June 21, 2015 at 2 pm at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 50 York Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530. Interment will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lambertville.

Calling hours at the church on Sunday afternoon from 1 pm until the start of services.

Donations in Lee’s memory may be made to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 50 York St, Lambertville, NJ 08530.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Van Horn-McDonough Funeral Home, 21 York Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530 (vhmfh.com)

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