Vibrant, incisive, and opinionated, J. Lee loved, and was loved by, many. She was born in Monroe, Louisiana to Jessie Lee Touchstone and Walter Elmo Lamb, and grew up alongside her sweet younger brother, Kirt Touchstone ("Touch") Lamb, first in Chattanooga, then in Nashville, and for much of her childhood, in Cookeville, Tennessee.

J. Lee had an adventurous spirit, and after graduating from Cookeville Central High School in 1965, she attended Rhodes College in Memphis. During her junior year, she studied abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France, and it was there that she fell in love with all things French, including her future husband, Bernard Bonnet. She returned to Rhodes to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969, and then returned to France to be with Bernard, working as an au pair and an ESL teacher. In December of 1972, she and Bernard were married in Boulogne-Billancourt in Paris (she wore a white pant suit that was très chic at the time), and in July of 1973, they moved to Nashville, TN. J. Lee spent 30 years working as a copy editor for the United Methodist Church's General Board of Discipleship, and during that time she gave birth to her beloved daughter, Jennifer, took computer classes (she was an early adopter of technology), learned Italian, and took annual trips to New York City with her mother, whom she cherished. They would window shop, attend plays and musicals, and breathe in the big city - a tradition that she continued with her daughter (who has carried forward the tradition with her son). Although their marriage ended, J. Lee and Bernard remained friends and lived within 3 miles of each other for most of her life.

J. Lee found joy in many places. She loved to read and spend time in libraries, listen to stories from family and friends (she always joked that she "interviewed" people at her house), reminisce about days gone by, and share her bountiful garden flowers with others. For many years, she volunteered at the Nashville Public Library and at Luke 14:12, supporting folks who were food insecure and/or unhoused, and she transported countless rescue dogs throughout Tennessee to be fostered or adopted, including many of her own foster "fails." She savored bowls of fresh peaches in the summertime, decorated every inch of her house for Christmas, and never forgot a birthday or anniversary.

There are so many who fondly remember J. Lee, and miss her, including her daughter, Jennifer, her son-in-law, Ben, and her precious grandson, Cayden; her brother Touch and sister-in-law Cathy Lamb; her nieces Rachael Larkins and Libby Lamb; her ex-husband Bernard, his wife Kathy, and their daughter Emma; and numerous friends and former co-workers. She is predeceased by her parents, Jessie Lee and Walter Lamb, and her grandparents, H.K. and Hortense Dixon Touchstone and Earl and Mary Gee Lamb.

For those wishing to honor her memory, please consider making a donation to Luke 14:12, https://www.luke1412.org, or to The Legacy Fund, https://www.workplaybuild.org…

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