Ann (Gilchrist) Lee

Ann Gilchrist Lee, 96, a resident of the Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community, Cranberry Township, formerly of Beaver Falls, died April 21, 2021, surrounded by family. Born in Birmingham, Michigan, on March 29, 1925, she was the daughter of the late Herbert Gilchrist and Elizabeth (Henning) Gilchrist of Greeley, Colorado. She was a graduate of Greeley Central High School and received her bachelor’s degree from Geneva College where she met her husband, Stewart M. Lee. They married on June 11, 1947 and were married for sixty years until Stewart’s death in 2007. 

After graduating from Geneva, she worked as a bookkeeper for nine years at John H. Brooks & Sons, Beaver Falls. For most of her life she was a member of the College Hill Reformed Presbyterian Church where she served faithfully in various roles, among them church school superintendent, precentor of the church choir, deacon, assistant treasurer, and president of the Highlanders Missionary Society. She also served on the board of directors of the Reformed Presbyterian Home. During the four decades she resided in Beaver Falls she was active in several civic groups. She was a charter member and later president of the Salvation Army Auxiliary and a member and president of the College Hill Women’s Club. 

She is survived by her daughter, Dr. Kathryn Lee, of Spokane, Washington; two sisters, Frances McCracken, Beaver Falls, and Marian Brooks, of Annandale, Virginia; and 24 nieces and nephews, and several great nieces and great nephews, and many friends. In addition to her parents and her husband, Stewart, she was preceded in death by two sisters, Bettye Garber and Agnes Carson. 

Ann was known for her hospitality, hosting many dinners at her home on College Hill. But hospitality was only one of her gifts. In Mancos, Colorado, while on horseback, she would help her father herd cattle. She was a basketball player, playing for the Geneva College women’s team, and, as an alumna, was an avid fan of the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes teams. And when her daughter played basketball for the Beaver Falls High School girls’ basketball team, she and Stewart were always in the bleachers, for home and away games. 

A memorial service celebrating Mrs. Lee’s life will take place at the College Hill Reformed Presbyterian Church, 3217 College Avenue, Beaver Falls on Monday at 11:00 AM.  Please wear a mask for the service.

A private interment will take place in the Grandview Cemetery, Beaver Falls. 

Memorial contributions may be made, if desired, to the Dr. Stewart M. Lee Endowed Scholarship, Office of Institutional Advancement, Geneva College, 3200 College Avenue, Beaver Falls. Ann’s daughter, Kathryn, expresses special appreciation to the staff at Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community who cared for Ann. 

Arrangements by Hill & Kunselman Funeral Home, www.hillandkunselman.com, 3801 Fourth Avenue, College Hill, Beaver Falls. 

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