James Allen "Jim" Lee, age 78, died May 4, 2019, at his home in Spearfish, South Dakota, where he was lovingly cared for by his wife. He was born December 24th,1940 in Ogallala, Nebraska to George and Maysel (Wheeler) Lee. His family moved to Rapid City, South Dakota in 1950. Jim graduated from Rapid City High School in 1959. Later, he moved to Hullet, Wyoming, and then to Spearfish, South Dakota, where he raised two daughters and ran a successful auto repair and salvage shop. He met his current wife, and the love of his life, Jennifer (Stadler-Hoffman) Lee in 1997. They enjoyed many travels and adventures together. Jim's later years in life were filled with the joy of adventures with his grandchildren who loved their "Pappy".

Jim purchased Valley Auto Parts in 1973, building it into a thriving business, which he ran for 27 years. During this time, he transformed a passion for building street rods into something more legal: building drag racing cars for the race track. He was well known for his 1934 Ford drag car, a labor of love which he fine-tuned for years. Eventually, looking for a new challenge and perhaps a greater surge of adrenaline, he moved on to racing sprint cars. After retiring and selling Valley Auto, he taught himself to sail, a process that started at Orman Dam and culminated in his journey across the Atlantic to Ireland in a 40' Catalac Catamaran. Sailing was a profound, perhaps even spiritual, experience for him, and he loved the year spent living in Ireland with his wife Jenny. He felt very at home there, amongst the irreverent talkers and storytellers who were kindred souls.

Jim loved to tell stories and jokes, truly never met a stranger in his life and was always up for a conversation or an adventure. He never wanted to sit on the sidelines and refused to allow himself to be satisfied with a predictable life. He was always curious, loved to solve mechanical problems and could repair anything from a Model T Ford to antique grandfather clocks. His life and intellect bring to mind the African Proverb, "When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground". Jim had keen intellect, an excellent memory for details, as well as the ability to visualize mechanical processes in such a way that he could conceptualize anything of a mechanical nature in order to repair it or improve its performance. He also possessed the ability to retell family stories and histories in minute detail and with good humor. With his death, so many of these details will be lost.

One thing that Jim wanted us to remember and understand is that he sailed his vessel until his river ran dry and we should all live our lives to the fullest.

He is remembered with love by his wife Jennifer "Jenny" Lee, his daughters, Tristin Lee, Laramie, WY, Stephanie Lee (Rik) Bartels, Belle Fourche (both from his first marriage, to Lee Ona (Morgan) Lee, his step-daughters, Samantha (Randy) Finkbeiner, Spearfish, Sonya (Chris) Donovan, Spearfish, Lynette (Stacey)Thorstenson, Sioux Falls, and his step-grandchildren, Robert Bartels, Riki Bartels, Jenna Thorstenson, Kyra Thorstenson, Lydia Donovan, John Finkbeiner, and Vivian Donovan, his mother Maysel Lee, brother Emery (Carol)Lee, sisters Claudia Scovel and Georgia Bear, as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held from 5:00pm to -7:00pm, Friday, May 10, 2019 at Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel in Spearfish. A celebration of Jim's life will be held at 1:00pm, Saturday, May 11, 2019 at the VFW in Spearfish.

Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com