Timothy D. Lee’s Life Journey

Timothy was born on April 23, 1959, to William and Barbara Lee at Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C. He attended Stanton Elementary in DC through second grade. In 1965, his parents relocated the family to Palmer Park in Prince George’s County, Maryland, where he completed his elementary through high school education.  During his childhood years, he and his brother Stephon held “black belts” in karate which signified a high-level of proficiency and dedication to the martial arts.  In addition to the martial arts training, Timothy was also involved in the Boy Scouts.  His protective nature of his siblings and “take charge” attitude embodied the principles taught both in karate and through his experience in scouting. 

While in high school,  he played varsity football. In 1977 he graduated from Parkdale Senior High School. Early on, his favorite pastime was hanging out with what was called his ‘Palmer Park crew’ (PP4Life). He also graduated from ITT Technical Institute in later years.

In 1978, Timothy joined the U.S. Navy. He was initially assigned to the Naval Submarine School in Groton, Connecticut. Later he was transferred to the USS BAGLEY (FF-1069) as a Torpedoman’s Mate; responsible for handling, maintaining, and launching ordnance and related weapon systems. He rose to the rank of Petty Officer Second Class and was a lead supervisor. He was the ship’s most senior torpedo technician, and was responsible for accepting, maintaining, arming, and launching the ship’s complement of anti-submarine ordnance. In 1980, he was deployed to the western Pacific Ocean aboard BAGLEY. While on the USS BAGLEY, the crew provided maritime support during the Iranian Hostage Crisis as an increased American military presence in the western Indian Ocean. While in the Navy, his ship visited the following port-of-calls: Australia, Diego Garcia, Kenya, the Maldives, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Somalia, South Korea, and Thailand. In 1982, he was honorably discharged from active duty and returned to civilian life.

On November 27, 2017, he started his career with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) as a Radio Technician at the Level: Mechanic D. In June 2021, he was promoted to Mechanic B, after successfully completing standard and customized training programs. Because of his dedication, technical expertise, and commitment to his responsibilities, he was instrumental in maintaining WMATA's communication systems and ensuring operational excellence.

Prior to working at WMATA, Timothy retired from Verizon as a Service Technician.

He met the love of his life, the former Michele Payne, at the age of 12 years old, while both attended Kent Junior High School in Palmer Park, Maryland. They remained good friends throughout junior and high school. After Timothy was discharged from the Navy, they reunited and later married. Together, they built a life making memories, going on trips, and working on projects together. In his spare time, he loved to listen to his music, watch sports, and spend time with his family, neighbors, and childhood friends. Timothy was affectionately known as Dad, Pops, Granddaddy, Tim-Tim, Timmy, My Brother, Uncle Timmy, and Lee.

Timothy quietly departed this life on December 27, 2024, after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife Michele of 36 years, sons Jeron and Demetrius; grandchildren, Jaida, Nazar, Jeniya and Jayden, great-granddaughter, Zaily, parents, William and Barbara Lee, sisters Sherri (Boyd) Campbell and Lisa Lee and a host of other relatives and friends.

Timothy was preceded in death by his brother, Stephon Lee.

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