Dr. Terry Marcus Lee, 74, of Durant passed peacefully on Thursday, December 26, 2024. Terry was born on December 5, 1950, in Independence, Missouri to Dr. Marcus Leroy Lee and Eleanor Maurine(Campbell) Lee. On May 28, 1972, Terry married his wife Lana Kay (Pacey) Lee in Wellington, Kan.
Terry grew up in Wellington, Kan. He played high school football and was active in his local Boy Scout Troop, where he earned the highest award in Boy Scouts, the Eagle Scout rank. His scouting legacy continued into adulthood, where he served as Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 615 in Durant. He attended college at the University of Kansas, where he was a member of the Jayhawk Marching Band, playing the trombone. He became an Osteopathic physician, and initially practiced medicine in Wellington for a few years before moving to Durant in 1980, where he established Lee Family Clinic, along with his brother Mike and father Marcus.
Terry thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors. He spent many days hunting quail and pheasant, and he was an avid angler, preferring top water action for the largemouth bass. His favorite fishing lure was the Long A Bomber. To this day, he maintains a large collection of fishing rods, reels, tackle, and gear. When he went shopping for tackle, he would always buy three of each lure. One was never enough. The Boy Scout motto is Be Prepared, and he certainly fulfilled this motto when fishing, and with any other outdoor endeavor. He always packed a backup shotgun on hunting trips, in the event his primary gun developed problems. He always had a spare, or two, of everything.
Terry loved music. He enjoyed rock and roll, listening to bands like Kansas, Boston, Toto, Adam Ant, Genesis, and Soundgarden. One of his favorite songs is titled Spoonman. He would like to play along with the song using his “Air Spoons.” Terry played piano, and could quickly learn to play music with his keen ability to play-by-ear. His love of rock and roll has likely caused permanent hearing damage for his kids, as he often played his music at deafening levels. A trip through Oklahoma City always meant 100.5 The KATT at full blast.
Terry had a love for flying. He constructed model airplanes as a youth, and later earned his private pilot certificate. He and his brother Mike purchased an airplane that is still in use today. Giving back to the aviation community, he became a certified FAA medical examiner.
Terry served on many boards and participated in many philanthropic groups. He was a Mason, and he was president of the Durant Jaycees. He spent countless hours as Director of Medical Education for the Durant Family Medicine Residency Program, which he founded. He was a mentor for several young physicians and aspiring medical students. He would often invite visiting medical students to his home for a steak dinner. He had a real passion for teaching and rural medicine.
Terry was creative; cerebral. He was a thinker and a doer. A true genius. When faced with any project or problem, he could find a solution, often in a unique, imaginative way. He designed one of the very first electronic medical record systems. He named it DOCS, for “Doctor’s Office Computing System.” This project required many after-hours nights. He used a dot-matrix printer and large amounts of printer paper to perform computer system backups, another testament to his preparedness. That printer would run non-stop for days.
It is impossible to estimate the number of lives he impacted in a positive way. Friends and family. Thousands of patients over the years. Colleagues and employees. Each and every individual that ever interacted with Terry recognized his warm heart and his kind, loving spirit.
Terry loved all of these things. But above all else, Terry loved and adored his wife and family. He was married for more than 50 years to his one and only wife, Lana, the love of his life. He had a special twinkle in his eye that was even more apparent when surrounded by family. He relished spending time with his grandchildren. He could be found taking them for Polaris rides, swimming in their pool, or fishing at the dock. He was a supportive and loving dad to his children and was a steady and guiding figure in their lives.
He is survived by his sons: Dr. Chris Lee and wife Tangee Lee of Enid, Oklahoma, and Scott Lee and wife Leslie Mangrum of Lindsborg, Kansas; his daughte,r Carolyn Martens and husband Bryce Martens of Durant, Oklahoma, and his brothers, Dr. Mike Lee and wife Kathy Lee of Durant, Oklahoma and Jeff Lee and wife Patty Lee of Durant, Oklahoma. His legacy lives on with his grandchildren Rindee Payne (23), Sam Lee (23), Emily Lee (21), Kelten Payne (18), Clara Mangrum-Lee (10), Maggie Martens (14), Molly Martens (12), Morgan Martens (9) and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Preceding him in death are his wife, Lana Kay (Pacey) Lee; father, Dr. Marcus Leroy Lee; his mother, Eleanor Maurine (Campbell) Lee; and his sister, Tamara Gay Lee.
Family hour is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, January 3, 2025, at Holmes-Coffey-Murray Funeral Home.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 4, 2025, at First United Methodist Church in Durant with Reverend John Hiller officiating.
Arrangements are under the direction of Holmes-Coffey-Murray Funeral Home, 121 N. Fifth Ave. in Durant.
www.holmescoffeymurray.com