Janice Leutricia Lee

Janice Leutricia Mayo Lee was born in Brooklyn, New York to Peggy Cleola Russell of Barnesville, Georgia and James Mayo of Washington, North Carolina. Janice graduated from Central Commercial High School, New York in 1958. Janice pursued her passion of mathematics by completing numerous college level accounting and computer courses over the years. This resulted in her developing a significant level of expertise in these fields that she loved sharing with co-workers, family and friends. From birth, she was raised in Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn and was baptized in Washington, North Carolina while visiting her grandparents. She continued her Christian walk approximately ten years ago at New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Janice married a soldier-George Andrew Lee II on December 30, 1961 in New York City, and from that union two children were born, Brenda Patricia Lee and George Andrew Lee III. Janice worked at a number of organizations in budgeting and accounting positions. In 1983, she settled into a professional career for Baltimore County. She began her career in the Health Department as an Accounting Clerk. After several promotions and positions in various departments, she found joy in her most recent assignment at the Office of Budget and Finance as an Accounting Clerk III. For a time, Janice worked part-time at the Humane Society and the Urban League. She was the Chief Financial Officer of the family business-The Quan Company. Janice was also a volunteer at Center Stage Theater, and an active member and a former officer of EX-POSE - and advocacy group for the benefit of ex-military wives. Janice shouldered her family’s military moves from New York to Japan to Taiwan to Maryland to Berlin, Germany and then back to Maryland. This required many personal and professional sacrifices, which Janice happily made for the benefit of her family. Each move helped to foster Janice’s love for travel and sense of adventure. Over the years, she visited London, Paris, Vienna, Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Pisa, Luxembourg, Athens, Monte Carlo, the Caribbean, Mexico, and various parts of the United States. Her most recent major adventure was to South Africa with her daughter in January of 2001. Janice was a wonderful mother! She was always her children’s cheerleader, encouraging and supporting them in all of life’s endeavors. She also shared her adventurous nature with her children by exposing them to a wealth of experiences. She led her children to horseback riding, ice-skating, belly dancing and whole host of other adventures. A favorite memory for her children and her niece and nephew was a trip to “The Bozo, The Clown” TV show. Her grandson, Nicholas Smith, was also a tremendous joy in her life. Each year, her entire extended family would designate Janice as “Mother of the Year.” Janice was devoted to her family. She was our organizer, our manager, our accountant, our nurturer and our friend. She was an integral part of a special sisterhood that included her daughter Brenda, her sister Odessa Alexander and her niece Zandra Alexander. One of the primary rituals for this group was the celebration of Mother’s Day. Every Mother's Day was an ever more extravagant smorgasbord of activities. However, the sisterhood was based on a loving, caring, “gotcha back” kind of relationship. Mother’s Day was the sisterhood’s way of celebrating motherhood, sisterhood and our deep, unyielding friendship. Janice leaves to mourn: her daughter and son, Brenda Lee and George Lee; her only sibling Odessa Alexander; her beloved only grandchild, Nicholas Andrew Smith; her devoted niece and nephew, Zandra Alexander and Kevin Alexander; cousins, Peggy Holmes and the family in the Ohio area, Timothy Russell, James Russell, Janice Russell, John Russell, Alphonso Russell and Michael Russell; and her extended family - Ted Parker Sr., Carol and Ted Parker Jr., Alana Brown and the entire “Parker Clan,” and a whole host of family and friends who will miss her dearly.In lieu of donations the Lee Family request that memorial donations be made in Janice Lee’s name to the Nicholas Smith Trust Fund (her only grandchild).Send donations c/o Brenda Lee 4711 Belleforte Court Pikesville, Maryland 21208

Tributes

Janice Leutricia Lee

January 6, 1940 - June 11, 2002