Dorothy LeeOctober 2, 2012Dorothy Lee died October 2, 2012 in Fort Myers, Florida. She was 84. She was born February 17, 1928 in Litchfield, IL to Alta M & Robert E Lee. Her death came shortly after that of Phebe Scott, with whom she made her home. She is survived by her sister, Mary Lee Ross of Bloomington, IL and three nephews: Ernest Ross (Sally) of Houston, TX, Robert L Ross (June), of Schaumburg, IL and Jerry Ross (Carol) of Adelaide, Australia. Two great nephews also survive her: Mark (Rebecca) of Wheaton IL and Eric of Schaumburg, IL.Dorothy Lee graduated from Litchfield Community High School and briefly attended Eureka College. Employed at St. Francis Hospital and the Illinois Power Company, she wrote the narrative for Litchfield's Centennial Pageant in 1953. She left Litchfield in 1956 to attend Illinois State Normal University from which she graduated with a B.S. in Education.After having taught at Proviso East High School for three years while earning a Master 's degree Sociology from Northwestern University, she joined the faculty of Illinois State Normal University. It became Illinois State University. She received her doctorate in Sociology from the University of Iowa. She remained at Illinois State until her retirement in 1991as Emerita Professor of Sociology. During that time she chaired the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work for six years. Nearing retirement, she served as Acting Chair of the Department of History, Foreign Languages and Political Science.She was founding member and former President of the Illinois Sociological Society and a board member of the Midwest Sociological Society.After retirement, she remained in Bloomington, IL but wintered in Florida. In 2002 she moved permanently to Ft. Myers, FL. After nine years of retirement, she began to fulfill a lifelong goal of writing. She published three novels.A memorial service will be announced at a later date. She was a founding member of the New Covenant Community in Bloomington IL and of All Faiths Utilitarian Congregation in Ft. Myers, Interment will be at Elmwood Cemetery in Litchfield, IL where her grandparents, parents, a brother and sister-in-law and a brother-in-law are buried. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either church or to the Dorothy E. Lee Endowment for Nontraditional Woman Students, c/o ISU Foundation, Campus Box 8000, Normal, IL 61790.