LEE Robert D. Passed away at his home in Capitola, CA on October 29, 2008. He was 88. Bob is survived by his loving wife and best friend of 63 years, Enid, his four sons: Doug of Peoria, AZ, Mark (Grace) of San Jose, Bill of Capitola, and Bob (Barbara) of Santa Cruz, his two grandchildren, Graham of Seattle WA. and Jessica of San Francisco, and his brother Archie and two nephews, Robert and Gregory, of Vancouver, BC. Bob grew up in Vancouver, BC. As a young man he was an avid soccer player, boxer and skier. He and his friends skied nearby Grouse Mountain before the mountain was equipped with rope tows or ski lifts, climbing the mountain in the morning and skiing down in the afternoon. He started training as an apprentice printer at age 15 and was employed as a ship's printer in the Merchant Marines in the years prior to World War II. In 1942, Bob enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force where he was trained as a pilot. Bob flew B-25s from Canada to England, a dangerous trans-North Atlantic flight made necessary by the circumstances of the war but up to that time still a rare event. On a mission to his father's native Scotland early in the war, Bob and his crew received a hero's welcome with townspeople lining the runway as his aircraft touched down. Bob returned to Canada in naval convoys, at times aboard vessels transporting captured German POWs thought to be less likely to be targeted by German U-boats. On one of his flights, Captain Lee experienced engine failure but was able to safely crash land his aircraft in Greenland where he and his crew were later rescued. Bob and Enid met during the war while Bob was on leave. They married on August 30, 1945, two weeks after the war ended. Bob went AWOL for the ceremony while his crew covered for him. After the war, Bob returned to the printing trade while he attended the University of British Columbia where he graduated as the valedictorian of the class of 1951. During this period, Bob and Enid together built a house at Lynn Valley in North Vancouver. Bob was adventurous and loved flying. When he learned that Brazil was looking for commercial pilots, he and Enid decided to work their way south. The plan was derailed by stops in Seattle (Doug) and San Francisco (Mark and Bill) and a stroke in 1956 at age 36 that left Bob with only the partial use of his left arm and hand. He continued to work in the printing trade for newspapers in Seattle and San Francisco but longed to be his own boss. In 1957, with Enid again pregnant (Bob), Bob took his family to Santa Cruz where he opened Robert Lee Silk Screen Advertising Service. He operated the business for thirty years, supplying real estate signs to most of the realtors in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. Bob was active in a myriad of youth organizations including the Capitola Cub Scouts, the Mid-County Little League, the Mid-County Mustang Pop Warner football team, the Soquel High Boosters' Club, the Little Helpers, and the Good Sports. He was an ardent supporter of the Soquel High Speech and Debate program. The Capitola house was "party central" for Bob and Enid and the many friends they had made through these groups. Many evenings were spent with friends and family playing pool and drinking beer from the refrigerated keg Bob had installed on the patio. Bob also enjoyed golf at DeLaveaga where he and Enid played an "evening nine" nearly daily for most of the 1970s and early 80s. After retiring in 1987, Bob and Enid moved to Davenport where they resided until the couple returned to their home in Capitola in 2005. In retirement the couple travelled across the United States and Canada several times in their camper van. Bob began producing silk screened art work which he displayed in a sunroom at the front of their Davenport home. In 1994, after years of hosting family election night parties and debating politics with anyone willing, Bob was naturalized as a citizen of the US. Bob and Enid loved their time in Davenport and are grateful for the friendships they developed and the community support they received there. A celebration of Bob's life will be held at the DeLaveaga Golf Course Lodge on Sunday, November 23 at 3:00 PM. A private memorial service for the immediate family will be held prior to that date. Memorial donations may be made to the Soquel High Fund, PO Box 1700, Soquel, CA, 95073.