Lee William Ries ran straight into the arms of his Heavenly Father from his home in San Antonio, Texas, on November 11, 2024, at the age of 57. Lee was born on March 22, 1967, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas.
Lee graduated from Lockhart High School in 1985 and joined the United States Marine Corps as an infantryman. Following Marine Corps basic training, Lee went on to Texas A&M, where he served in the Corps of Cadets and played the sousaphone in the Fighting Texas Aggie Band. In 1987, life pulled Lee in a different direction, and he enlisted in the United States Army. He later returned to Texas A&M in 1998 to complete his Bachelor of Arts in Russian, graduating in the class of 2000. He went on to earn a Master of Information Systems in 2015.
During Lee’s time in the military, he served his country honorably. He was selected to attend the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School in 1993 and later achieved the rank of Captain in 1998. He separated from the Army in 2004 and continued to serve alongside the military as a government contractor, during which he completed two tours in Iraq, and then as a civilian government employee until his passing.
Lee was passionate about exploring—both physically and mentally. Lee rarely stayed put in one place. When traveling for work, he never let an opportunity to see the sights and take part in local activities go to waste. During vacations with his wife Deann, Lee loved cruising the Caribbean Sea and sampling local cuisine, relaxing on the beach, and making fast friends aboard the ship. With a love of fantasy/science fiction novels, TV shows, and movies, Lee explored fictional locations—like Middle Earth, Tatooine, the Cosmere, and more. Lee used these experiences as opportunities to make new friends and deepen his relationships with loved ones.
FLEXIBILITY IS THE KEY TO AIRPOWER
Dad, Pop, Papa, Monk Monk, Lee, Uncle Lee, Grampa—he was known and loved by many. He cared deeply about his loved ones, attracting as many friends and family as there are stars in the sky. An avid learner, reader, and explorer, Lee often turned his gaze to the skies and wondered what mysteries lie in space.
As a boy, Lee dreamed of being an astronaut and exploring space in person. However, vision impairments disqualified him from qualifying at NASA—but it didn’t diminish his passion at all. When he saved up his money as a ten-year-old dreamer and bought his first telescope, he learned how to navigate those same stars from the ground. Lee would often stay up late or wake up in the wee hours of the morning just to catch a glimpse of a star or planet that could only be seen in specific settings—and he’d share his joy with those he loved.
When his daughter, Ashlee, enrolled in Astronomy during her sophomore year of college at Baylor University, Lee spent many hours on the phone with her, discussing everything she learned and saw in her studies. When his son, Christopher, returned home to visit from Colorado, Lee would excitedly usher him outside to show him the beauty and wonder of space through his treasured, high-powered telescope. It didn’t matter what time of night it was; Lee delighted in sharing his love of the skies with his kids.
And he extended that same joy with his wife, Deann. In April of 2024, Deann and Lee gathered with friends and family outside their home in San Antonio, Texas, and watched the historic Solar Eclipse together. In October of that same year—one month prior to his untimely passing—Lee and Deann stood outside in the late hours of the night and watched Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS streak across the night sky. With an arm around Deann’s waist and his gaze upon the comet, Lee enjoyed the quiet wonder that moment held for them.
We love you, Dad, Pop, Papa, Monk Monk, Lee, Uncle Lee, Grampa—thank you for sharing your love with us down here on earth. May you find joy among the stars and finally see up close what you gazed upon from afar in life.
*****
I have many great memories of Lee; enough to fill a couple of books. My greatest memory or memories involve our freshmen year in high school; particularly during the fall before either of us started driving to school. We spent our mornings riding our bikes to school together. We met every morning after TBS' episode of "My Three Sons". The episode ended at 7:35 a.m., and we met at the corner of South Commerce and Bee St. at 7:40 a.m.
The trip started with a reflection on the episode we both watched, and, of course, that always resulted in a lot of laughs. Our conversation would always progress to what we expected to happen during the upcoming day. Whether the events occurred like we expected to them to or not; what I realize now is that we shared some of the greatest times of lives together riding, talking and laughing. Lee was a blessing to me then and is still a blessing to me today. He referred to me as his brother starting in high school, and I have never doubted it because I considered him my brother as well. As I grow older, I realize more and more that while we shared a ride, conversation, and laughter, we also share a brotherhood, respect, and love.
1Thessalonians 4:13-18: See you on the next ride, brother!
