OBITUARY

Name:   Vernice R. (Griffith) Lee

From:  The Unknown, Newcastle, Wyoming
Date:  Wednesday, December 26, 2007  

Vernice R. "Half-Pint" Lee, 79, she died Monday, Dec. 24, 2007 at Weston Manor Nursing Home following a lengthy illness.

She was born Sept. 23, 1928, in East St. Louis, Ill., the daughter of Hallie and Gladys (Thompson) Griffith.

She was raised on a farm in southern Illinois and attended school until she was needed to work on the family farm. Working at a shirt factory, she met Hy Lee in 1947. They were married in 1948 and were the parents of two sons.

The couple moved to Newcastle in 1949 where Hy worked in the oil field. They moved around quite a bit following the oil boom in Wyoming. They also followed the boom in Venezuela, South America and England where Hy worked in the North Sea field. They returned to Gillette in 1974 where Vernice operated the Lakeside Motel for a year before moving back to Newcastle in 1978. Here she bought and operated the Stardust Motel.

She was a member of TOPS #218 of Newcastle. She enjoyed all the ladies and kept her weight down to 118 pounds for 15 years.

She is survived by her husband, sons, Jim Lee and wife of Newcastle and J.D. Lee and wife of Odessa, Texas; five brothers, including Leroy Griffith and wife of Newcastle; four sisters, nine grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

She was preceded in death by three brothers.

Funeral services will be held at 3:00 pm Friday, December 28th at Worden Chapel. Burial will follow in the Greenwood Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday, December 27th from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Worden Chapel.