Obituary for Rodney Lee
Heaven has a new angel
Rodney Keith Lee of Lemoore passed away peacefully on Friday, June 12, 2020. He was born on January 30, 1959 in Honolulu, Hawaii, the first of five children born to Jim and Carolyn Lee. Rodney was a lifelong resident of Lemoore. He attended Lemoore Union Elementary Schools and was a 1977 graduate of Lemoore High School.
Rodney’s health issues started at 13 years old when he was diagnosed with a non-malignant brain tumor, which left him with a speech
impediment and loss of hearing. He lived independently for many years after graduating from high school. He also worked for 20 years at the
family grocery store, Lincoln Market, until it was sold.
In the early 1990s he wanted a way to make people happy, so he decided to deliver candy to employees at local businesses in Lemoore and
Hanford. He is fondly remembered as “The Candyman”. He had been living at Kings Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where he rolled
around in his wheelchair and continued to deliver candy and smiles to everyone he greeted.
Rodney led an extraordinary life. In spite of his health challenges, he had a very broad reach that touched many people in very positive ways.
He always had a smile on his face and he loved to kid around with people. Despite his difficulty to speak, his brain remained sharp and he
loved to play cards and games with anyone for hours. He had many hidden talents, including saying the alphabet backwards and reciting the
San Francisco Giants lineup at an early age. His infectious personality and smile brought smiles to everyone he interacted with. We will
forever love and miss him!
He was preceded in death by his father, Jim, and sister, Allison. He is survived by his mother, Carolyn, and his three sisters, Susan Loper of
Lemoore, her husband, Kevin, and their children, Meghan, Scott, and Ryan; Stacey Wong of Mountain View, her husband, Brian, and their
children, Matthew and Eric; and Leslie Holiday of Fresno, her husband, Doug, and their children, Jessica, Jason, and Jacob. He is also survived
by his dog, Ollie, and his many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
A huge thank you to the Kings Nursing and Rehabilitation Center nurses and staff. You were so loving and caring to Rodney.
A visitation will be held from 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Friday, June 19 at Phipps-Dale Funeral Chapel in Lemoore. Due to COVID19, we will be practicing social distancing where only 25 people will be allowed into the funeral chapel at one time (face masks are optional). A private service will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, June 20 at Phipps-Dale Funeral Chapel. You can view the service on Saturday, June 20, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. by visiting the phippsdale website. Click on the live stream link on Rodney’s obituary page. Interment service will be at Lemoore Cemetery.
Family and friends who wish to remember Rodney may do so by contributing to Kings Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at 851 Leslie Ln., Hanford, CA 93230 or Lemoore Senior Center at 789 S. Lemoore Ave., Lemoore, CA 93245.
Rodney Keith Lee of Lemoore passed away peacefully on Friday, June 12, 2020. He was born on January 30, 1959 in Honolulu, Hawaii, the first of five children born to Jim and Carolyn Lee. Rodney was a lifelong resident of Lemoore. He attended Lemoore Union Elementary Schools and was a 1977 graduate of Lemoore High School.
Rodney’s health issues started at 13 years old when he was diagnosed with a non-malignant brain tumor, which left him with a speech
impediment and loss of hearing. He lived independently for many years after graduating from high school. He also worked for 20 years at the
family grocery store, Lincoln Market, until it was sold.
In the early 1990s he wanted a way to make people happy, so he decided to deliver candy to employees at local businesses in Lemoore and
Hanford. He is fondly remembered as “The Candyman”. He had been living at Kings Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where he rolled
around in his wheelchair and continued to deliver candy and smiles to everyone he greeted.
Rodney led an extraordinary life. In spite of his health challenges, he had a very broad reach that touched many people in very positive ways.
He always had a smile on his face and he loved to kid around with people. Despite his difficulty to speak, his brain remained sharp and he
loved to play cards and games with anyone for hours. He had many hidden talents, including saying the alphabet backwards and reciting the
San Francisco Giants lineup at an early age. His infectious personality and smile brought smiles to everyone he interacted with. We will
forever love and miss him!
He was preceded in death by his father, Jim, and sister, Allison. He is survived by his mother, Carolyn, and his three sisters, Susan Loper of
Lemoore, her husband, Kevin, and their children, Meghan, Scott, and Ryan; Stacey Wong of Mountain View, her husband, Brian, and their
children, Matthew and Eric; and Leslie Holiday of Fresno, her husband, Doug, and their children, Jessica, Jason, and Jacob. He is also survived
by his dog, Ollie, and his many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
A huge thank you to the Kings Nursing and Rehabilitation Center nurses and staff. You were so loving and caring to Rodney.
A visitation will be held from 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Friday, June 19 at Phipps-Dale Funeral Chapel in Lemoore. Due to COVID19, we will be practicing social distancing where only 25 people will be allowed into the funeral chapel at one time (face masks are optional). A private service will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, June 20 at Phipps-Dale Funeral Chapel. You can view the service on Saturday, June 20, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. by visiting the phippsdale website. Click on the live stream link on Rodney’s obituary page. Interment service will be at Lemoore Cemetery.
Family and friends who wish to remember Rodney may do so by contributing to Kings Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at 851 Leslie Ln., Hanford, CA 93230 or Lemoore Senior Center at 789 S. Lemoore Ave., Lemoore, CA 93245.