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A funeral Mass will be celebrated for Charles Lee at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 19, at the Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave. in Menlo Park. Mr. Lee died, surrounded by his family, at his home in Atherton on June 9. He was 86.

A third generation San Franciscan, Mr. Lee graduated from Lowell High School in 1942. During World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 299th Combat Engineer Battalion. He participated in the Normandy campaign in France and was among the first U.S. troops to cross the Rhine River into Germany.

On his return from service, he enrolled in the University of San Francisco. After his graduation and marriage in 1949, he began his career in the oil business, starting with Tidewater Oil, then with Occidental Petroleum, and retiring as vice president and chief financial officer of Natomas Company.

After retiring, he worked for Smith Barney as a managing director. He served on five corporate boards: American President Lines, Bergen Brunswig Corp., Greyhound Bus Lines, Mattel Inc. and Natomas Company. He was a trustee emeritus and President's Ambassador at the University of San Francisco. He was a Knight of Malta, a former Serran, and a 38-year member of the Church of the Nativity. He served as chair of the board of regents (1998-2001) at St. Patrick's Seminary.

Mr. Lee is survived by his wife, Jean Egan Lee; children Kevin Lee, Dennis Lee, Moira Simunovich, Terri LaJoie, and Sheila Trombadore; 10 grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.

The family expresses thanks to his caregivers, Jose Pinto, Charlie Malag and William Halapua, the hospice team of Pathways, and the San Carlos Adult Daycare CYO for their compassionate care.
Donations may be made to University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton St., San Francisco, CA 94117; Pathways, 585 North Mary Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94085; and San Carlos Adult Daycare CYO, 787 Walnut St., San Carlos, CA 94070.

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