William Gordon “Bill” Lees
November 28, 1929 – January 20, 2013
Bill passed away peacefully after a short illness and will be sorely missed. Bill was born on November 28, 1929 to Bernard and Sorea Lees in Trail, British Columbia, Canada. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Gloria Shabouh; most recent wife, Edith Erfert; his parents; brother, Jack Lees; and sister, Jean Inglis. He is survived by his children: Mary (Paul) Hawthorne of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Barbara Lees of Las Vegas, Nevada; William Gordon (Cindy) Lees, Jr. of Glasgow, Kentucky; and Julie Howell of Colorado Springs; grandchildren: Krista, Alli, Jessie, and Matthew Hawthorne, and Brandon and Kelly Howell; great-grandchild, Ayden Young; stepdaughter, Dana Smith; nephew, Karl Dreher; niece, Karen Dreher Smith; companion Vi Wheeler; and numerous other relatives in Canada.
Bill attended British Columbia schools for 12 years and the Colorado School of Mines for three semesters before transferring to the Montana School of Mines, where he graduated in 1958 with a BSC degree in Mining Engineering. He changed his profession in 1965, working his way up to an electrical engineer, which he did for 26 years before retiring in 1991 from Kohnert Engineering.
Bill has been a member of First Presbyterian Church since 1979, having served as a deacon, Stephen’s Minister, Sunday school president, and usher. Bill was an avid bridge player, and also enjoyed playing cribbage, bowling and fishing with his wife Edith.
A memorial service will be held in Bill’s honor at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 25, at First Presbyterian Church, 219 East Bijou Street.
Memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Deacons Fund.