Hugh D. Lee went to sleep in the Lord Sunday, August 15 at Hospice in Vero Beach.
He came to Vero from The Villages in 2016 but had lived in Lakeland from from the mid 1960s to 2004. In addition, he and Gloria had owned a beach condo in Englewood, enjoying weekends and many friends there. He was born Oct. 6, 1924 in Lulu, FL, near Lake City. During WW2 he served in the Navy, enlisting at age 17. After graduating from the Univ. of Florida, he joined the FL Dept. of Citrus, working in marketing in NYC, DC, Atlanta, and finally Lakeland. After retiring, he worked for a firm (and later the FL Farm Bureau), which offered fresh citrus for youth and civic groups nation-wide to sell in fundraising. He had good relations with many packing houses and fruit trucking companies in the state, working till he was 85.
Hugh enjoyed a deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ and was a lifelong Baptist. He later attended the Oxford Assembly of God near The Villages. A daily swimmer, he enjoyed his pool and the Gulf waters in Englewood. As a businessman, he loved to travel, always making new friends and working with celebrities like Anita Bryant and The Bee Gees. He also enjoyed many vacations with Gloria to Europe and the Caribbean.
He was preceded in death by his loving first wife Cathrine, son-in-law Donald Holbrook, and stepson Cliff Branson. He is survived by his loving wife Gloria of Vero, daughter Yvonne Holbrook of Georgia, sister Jetta Bova of Tampa, stepsons Evan English (Kim) and Mark Branson of Vero, daughter-in-law Debbie Branson of S Carolina, 8 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. Hugh was known for his generosity and always being a perfect gentleman, not using profanity or showing acts of temper, and trying to follow Christ’s example in treating others. People usually mention his genuine smile and kindness. He will be especially missed by the staff of Grace Rehab, who truly loved him.
A graveside service with military honors for Hugh will be held at Florida National Cemetery on Friday, September 10 at 2:00pm.
