Robert Emmett Lee

Robert Emmett Lee, III, 76, of Florence, SC passed away on Thursday, July 30, 2020. Mr. Lee was born in Altoona, PA, son of the late Robert Emmett Lee, II and Lena Baird Lee.He was a 1961 graduate of Upper Merion High School.After attending college, he worked for the family hardware store, Robert E. Lee Hardware, in King of Prussia, PA.He was drafted into the US Army during Vietnam, serving in Fort Bliss, TX.Following his discharge, he returned to the family business.He left the hardware store to go into management with several national corporations.Then in 1985 he started Robert E. Lee Lawn Service in Tampa, FL.In 1992 he went back to college to obtain his optician degree.Upon graduation, he returned to SC to work for LensCrafters, retiring in 2006.Mr. Lee was a scholar and a gentleman. Surviving are his wife, Phyllis Thomas Lee of Florence; sons, Rev. Dr. Robert E. (Melanie) Lee, IV of Richmond, VA and Kevin Michael (Mae Beth) Lee of Ridgeway, SC; step-daughter, Vanessa (Michael) Brown of Anderson, SC; step-sons, Fernando (Christina) Pena of Florence and Kevin (Angelica) Pena of San Leandro, CA; grandchildren, Bailey Lee, Courtney Lee, and Isabella Lee; step-grandchildren, Matthan Brown, MichaelAnne Brown, Anders Brown, BaxleyKate Brown, Tillman Pena, Tristan Pena, and Inez Pena; sister, Linda Griffiths of PA. Memorials may be made to the Florence Area Humane Society, P. O. Box 4808, Florence, SC29502. Graveside services with military honors will be held at 4:00 pm Sunday, August 2, 2020 at Mount Hope Cemetery directed by Stoudenmire-Dowling Funeral Home.The services will be livestreamed on the Mount Hope Facebook page.Covid-19 protocol will be observed. Please send messages to the family at the obit section of www.stoudenmiredowling.com.