Lee was born in Alabama and moved to Michigan in 1953. He graduated from Waterford-Kettering HS in 1965 and went to work at GM Truck and Bus in Pontiac. In 1966 he was drafted into the US Army and was assigned to the Military Police Corps where he attained the rank of Sergeant. He spent his two years of service at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in the 503rd MP Battalion. His unit was sent to Detroit during the riot and to Washington, D.C. to guard the Pentagon during the "Peace" March. They returned to Washington after the assassination of Martin Luther King to provide security. He returned to Michigan and worked at GM Truck and Bus for over 40 years.

Lee was interested in history,hunting, and camping. He was an avid reader of military history with a special interest in the Civil War. He was related to Pleasant Riggs Crump of Alabama who was the very last Confederate veteran.5065