William A. Lee Jr., longtime postal worker, dies at 65

William A. Lee Jr., lovingly known as “Billy,” died on Sunday, July 3, 2022. He was 65.

Those who loved him remember him as a warm and caring man.

“Even though he was always big, he was very gentle,” said his wife, Diana Lee.

When Bill and Diana first met as teenagers, “I was stand-offish,” she said. But he opened his heart and his home to her. “It was like he just said, ‘You don’t have any family, but I got enough family to give you some of mine.’”

Lee was born to the late William A. Lee Sr. and Ruth Wilson Lee on July 25, 1956.

He was educated first by his mother, who raised her sons to take care of themselves.

“He was a very good cook. He could clean. He could hem his own pants,” Diana Lee said.

Lee attended schools in the Philadelphia School System and graduated from Bok Vocational Technical High School in 1975. He then attended North Dakota State University, where he studied communications and played football.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a radioman until he was honorably discharged. He then joined the U.S. Postal Service. He retired in 2015 after 30 years.

In his youth, he sang in the Excelsior choirs.

Bill and Diana were high school sweethearts. They married on Aug. 10, 1974. During their 47 glorious years of marriage, they were blessed with three sons. He took an active role in raising the three boys, and helped change their diapers, teach them life skills, and take them on trips.

“He was an excellent father, an excellent provider,” Diana Lee said.

“He loved me, he loved our boys, he loved football, and he loved fishing. There was no question about any of those.”

Lee was an avid Eagles fan and a season ticket holder. One of the happiest moments of his life was when the Eagles won the Super Bowl.

In addition to his wife, Lee is survived by his sons, William A. Lee III, Quincy T. Lee and Joshua K. Lee; daughters-in-law, Tajuana Harris-Lee, Lashay Lee and Sheena Watkins; grandsons, Quamir and Tahjir Lee; granddaughters, Destiny and Cianni Lee, and A’Janae and Aaliyah Watkins; sisters, Linda Lee-Gray and Joyzelle Lee-Johnson; brother, Michael Watson; and other family members.

Services will be held on Thursday, July 14, at Mt. Pisgah AME Church, 428 N. 41st St.

The viewing will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. The funeral service will begin at 11 a.m.

Interment will be private.