Flora C. Lee

Flora C. Lee, 104, a long time Indiana resident, passed away peacefully on April 11, 2022, in South Bend, IN.  Flora was born in Hankow, China on April 6, 1918.  In 1939, in Chungking, China, she married James K. Lee who preceded her in death.  She is survived by 4 children, Charles (Dora) Lee, PhD of Golden Valley, MN, Julia (Hsin-hsin) Chou, MS of Woodbury, MN, Nancy (Guang) Fang, PhD of W. Windsor, NJ, and Joseph (Kristine) Lee, MD of South Bend, IN.  Also surviving are 9 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren who she loved and cherished.

Flora was class president of her high school then earned a B.S. degree in education at Central China College.  She met her future husband, James, at college and taught biology for nearly 10 years.  As they started their family, World War II broke out.  Daily bombing raids required hiding in bomb shelters.  In 1949, they immigrated to the U.S. to pursue advanced education and became U.S. citizens.  She received her Master’s degree in library science at Catholic University in Washington, DC.

They settled in Marion, IN for 25 years where she was employed as a librarian at Marion College.  They then moved to Indianapolis and Irvine, CA where she shared her talents in calligraphy, painting and helped distribute vegetables to the homeless.  They came back to Indiana in 1998 and settled at The Sanctuary at St. Paul’s in South Bend. She has greatly enjoyed teaching Mandarin Chinese since then and was admired by all her students.  She is also known for her exquisite skill in painting over 200 pieces of art, winning multiple awards and haiku writing.  Her memberships include the American Association of University Women, the American Library Association, the Grant County Art Association, the Indiana Museum of Art, and the Creative Art Association in Irvine.

She greatly enjoyed her time living at St. Paul’s and its smiling faces and good service.  She participated in art fairs, qi gong, bridge, shuffleboard, and mah jong.  She is well known for her Potsticker recipe in the Chinese community.  She maintained a sharp memory and loved telling stories of her multifaceted, unique life.  All who knew her were impressed by her genuine concern and support for others.  She was often described as wise, selfless, and expressive.  She realized the value of education and passed that ideal on to her children and grandchildren.  Her family admired her as an inspirational role model as she often preached “Learn more, Do more” and “Study hard, Work hard”.  She will be remembered for her stirring speeches at her grandchildren’s weddings.  When asked her secret to a long, fulfilling life, she said “Just keep moving”.  Her optimism and looking for the good in others helped.  She has maintained a strong Christian belief and at the end was ready for heaven.  She will be profoundly missed and often remembered.

No services are being held at this time.  Hahn Funeral Home has been entrusted with handling the final arrangements. 

To leave an online condolence or to share a memory, please visit www.hahnfuneralhomes.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Flora C. Lee, please visit our floral store.