Doris Marie Lee's Obituary
Doris Marie (Goss) Lee
9/19/26 – 10/8/2020
Doris Marie Lee was born into humble beginnings into a family where her father Otis Odette Goss was not around much because of having to travel for work. Her mom Naomi Alice (Bloodworth) Goss did the best she could raising five boys and three girls. Her mom would sit and read the children the Bible when she could. Our father said that everyone loved Naomi Goss because she was such a kind lady.
Our mother, Doris Mari Goss Lee, was born September 19, 1926, in Vero Beach FL. The family did not go to church but when mom was old enough, her and her sister Opal would go down to the local church for services. Mom learned the love of the Lord and His word early in life and that love would lead her the rest of her life until she went home to be with the Lord.
Mom and dad were married December 24, 1943 in Lake City FL at the courthouse. Mom was seventeen years old and dad was nineteen. Dad said that the wedding ceremony cost him six dollars.
Dad was on leave when he married mom and he was stationed in Pensacola Florida, so after the wedding mom and dad headed back to Pensacola to finish out his stent in the Navy. While they were living in Pensacola, 11 months later they had their first child Jimmie Randall Lee in 1944.
When dad finished his stent in the navy dad found work in Largo Florida working for a Orange grove company. During the three years that mom and dad were in largo, their second son Wayne Howard Lee was born in 1947 in Clermont Florida.
One day mom’s brother Carl came to visit mom and dad and he told dad there was plenty of work in Ohio. Dad picked up his last paycheck and the four headed to Freemont Ohio. When mom, dad, Jimmie, and Wayne arrived in Ohio that very day my father went down with Carl and hired onto a job in a rubber plant. If you know my dad, he wastes no time going to work. Dad started to work the very next morning. Dad would work for the rubber company for five years until he took a job with George Martin doing construction. The winters were cold but dad did his job and learned to be a carpenter.
During the eight years in Freemont Ohio, Dale Edward would be born in 1950 he was the third son, David Paul was born in 1953, the fourth son and Russell (Rusty) Erwin was born the fifth child in the fifth month on the fifth day in 1955.
Mom and dad moved back to Florida for warmer climate and work opportunities that were closer to both of their families. Eventually mom and dad would settle in Gainesville Florida and their sixth son was born on March 17, 1957, they would call the last child the name sake of the Father, Johnie Marion Lee Jr.
Mom and dad had six boys and I’m sure it was a challenge but it was also a blessing, the six boys would help the father around the small farm plowing the land by hand and raising a few animals for meat. The small farm would sustain the family for many years. Life on the farm was not easy and my dad had to work long hours in the construction field, but mom and dad held our family together with prayer and the love of the heavenly Father.
Every morning before we would head off to work or school, mom and dad would gather us together in the living room and we would read scriptures and pray for God’s blessings for the day and thank Him for all that He did for us. The prayers that we heard around the mealtime table, and the prayers that we prayed at bedtime made that small house a home and those eight individuals a family.
Mom was faithful to make us mind our manners and to be respectful to one another. We grew up with values, morals and standards. The Christian living and the values we kept brought all of us boys to the Lord. Today we all serve the Lord in some facet or another.
Mom made sure we went to church as a family. We would load up the car with the whole family to go to church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening and frankly any time the doors of the church were open we were sure to be there.
Mom taught Sunday school until she was in her eighties, she loved the word of God and she loved expounding on the word of God. Mom would read the Bible often and study the words carefully. Mom taught all six of us boys the word of God and the love for God and His word.
For the years that the boys were growing up, mom was a housewife and mother but when the youngest was in elementary school, mom went to night classes and received her high school diploma. After she received her high school diploma mom went on to take real estate courses in preparation to obtain her Realtor license. Mom was raising the last three boys, going to school, and working for a realtor in Gainesville. She would later get her real estate license and start her and dad’s own company, Lee Real Estate and Builders. Dad had become a general contractor and the boys worked for him from time to time building houses. Dad built homes and spec houses and mom would sell the homes as well as general listings of other properties.
As the years went along and the boys were leaving home to pursue their careers or college life, mom decided to enjoy the fruits of their labor and they would began to travel around the United States seeing the sights and states that they had never visited before. Eventually they would by a motor home and travel. Mom and dad took a couple of trips to Israel and walk the roads that Jesus walked.
Life did bring some hardships with the passing of two of their sons Rusty in 1999 and Dale in 2017. But with the strength of the Lord and the love of the family mom and dad overcame the hard times and has lived a long prosperous life.
Mom celebrated her ninety fourth birthday with dad and her remaining four sons and their wives. Sadly, the week after her birthday mom got what we thought was a cold. The doctor gave her antibiotics, but the infection never subsided and eventually mom went into a care facility for recovery but succumbed to the infection on October 8, 2020.
Mom was preceded in death by her mother and father, all five of her brothers Albert, Alva, Carl, Jerald, Edward, and two sisters Lura and Opal as well as two sons Dale and Rusty.
Mom is survived by her husband of 76 years, Johnie Marion Lee who is 96 years young and four son’s Jimmie Randall, Wayne Howard, David Paul, and Johnie Marion Lee Jr. as well as 14 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren.
If I had to share mom’s sentiment for this hour she would say, “You need to know Jesus the Savior and find a good Bible believing, full gospel church.”
Mom will be greatly missed by all of her friends and family.
In lieu of Flowers, memorials may be made in her name to Vistas Hospice 4842 S.W. Archer Rd Gainesville, Florida 32607.
Join the Zoom Meeting that will begin at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, October 13, 2020. Please click on the link below.
https://zoom.us/recording/detail?meeting_id=N4mriwDlS9injN2PWtpysA%3D%3D
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