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Lee's Story

Give Something More than You Take

When Lee and his wife Dale began to look for a new church home, close friends told them about Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Lee said they felt an “immediate connection” and soon after joining, both quickly became involved in various teams that helped them build relationships throughout the congregation.

Growing up, Lee spent his early years in Baltimore, Maryland. He and his extended family, who emigrated from Germany during World War II, attended a traditional Lutheran church, withservices celebrated in German. After church, everyone went across the street to the DeutschesHaus, where the adults would enjoy beer and the kids had root beer.

When he was 7, his parents divorced and he moved to Galveston, Texas with his mother and sister. The family went through tough times financially; he and his sister qualified for free breakfast and lunch at school, which were sometimes the only regular meals available to them.As they grew older and took different paths, each sibling had to navigate significant financial challenges. It was from these years, Lee leaned into the motto “give something more than you take.”

After graduating from the University of Missouri, Lee worked for McDonnell Aircraft (now Boeing) before backpacking through western Europe. When he returned home, Lee embarked ona new career path as a financial advisor where he worked for Wells Fargo Advisors as a Senior Vice President until his retirement in 2023.

It was when he began his career as a financial advisor that he met Dale and they married. For 20 years, they attended a United Methodist church with a wonderful children and youth program, good music, and a friendly congregation. They had two daughters, Lindsay and Madison, and as the girls grew, Lee was very active in the Youth Ministry program organizing and chaperoning both work camps and choir tours.  

When they arrived at Good Shepherd, it did not take long for them to find their place. They found opportunities to share their gifts and passions, building joyful relationships along the way. Dale, who has a passion for gardening, currently volunteers with the flower ministry and creates seasonal decorations with this team. Lee has made lasting connections with others as he served on Council, the Senior Pastor Call Committee, and chaired the Endowment Committee.

Lee’s interest in music, reaching back to the days with his daughters on choir tours, strengthened his love of music ministry and led him to join the men’s choir. At a rehearsal in March of 2024, he noticed that the piano sounded “off” and asked Jamie De Geer what was wrong. She shared that the soundboard had broken, which would be an expensive and uncertain repair. Shortly afterwards, Lee asked Jamie and Gail Brecht to go shopping with him, which resulted in Lee buying a new Kawai professional upright piano for the music program. Beginning with this purchase, one thing led to another in the Music Room until it had been essentially gutted and rebuilt with state-of-the-art equipment. The Music Ministry program at Good Shepherd is home to multiple choirs and features our annual Christmas cantata, as well as several yearly children’s musicals, including Music Camp. Lee’s motivation for donating his time and capital to special projects at Good Shepherd is to leave a legacy that will last for generations. It is through generous donations such as these that Good Shepherd’s Ministry will continue to thrive.