Daniel Lee, 86, of Nashua, NH passed away on Thursday, October 17th, 2024 at St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, NH.

Born in New York City, NY on December 16th, 1937, Daniel was one of seven children to the late Wah Sun (George) and Young Yew (Lillian) Lee. Raised on Division St. in Chinatown, he was a proud graduate of Stuyvesant High School. He earned his Electrical Engineering degree from the Indiana Institute of Technology and his MBA from Adelphi University.

In high school and college, Daniel worked as a waiter on weekends and during the summers. He often spoke of the restaurant as the best classroom for learning life skills and understanding human relations, lessons he would apply to all of his personal and professional endeavors. After graduating from Indiana Tech, Daniel became an Aerospace Electronics Engineer for the Grumman Aerospace Corporation, supporting their Apollo Lunar Program. He later worked for Lockheed as an Electrical Engineer and Program Manager, ultimately retiring from BAE Systems in 2001. Early in his career he also taught mathematics and management courses at Long Island University and New Jersey Institute of Technology as an adjunct professor.

Daniel's favorite childhood memories included trips to the Bronx Zoo and Coney Island with his dad. Each summer, the Chinese American Restaurant Association sponsored a community boat ride from New York City to Bear Mountain. Daniel fondly remembers his mother preparing food for these trips in the early morning as his brothers Alfred and John gathered treats from the grocery store and bakery. While cruising up the Hudson, Daniel and his siblings enjoyed card games, ping pong and dance contests. Once at Bear Mountain, the family spent the day swimming, boating, hiking, and relishing delicious picnics. Daniel also treasured two two-week trips with the Fresh Air Fund to upstate NY along the Erie Canal. Although he first considered the evenings too quiet (except for crickets), this is where he learned to use a fork and knife (much to the amazement of his host family) and how to ride a bike.

Many have heard of Daniel's exploits on the dance floor! During his freshman year of high school, Daniel's dear sister Dorothy taught him classic ballroom dances. As a sophomore Daniel went to the Palladium on Wednesday nights for their Latin dance lessons. He started the Jade Social Club which attracted young Chinese people from all over the US and the Caribbean to visit and learn their style of dancing. Daniel won many dance competitions, including all five Latin dances in 1957's Double Ten Dance Contest, one of the signature events celebrating Chinese Independence Day. On the heels of this victory, Daniel was scouted to audition for the Broadway play, Flower Drum Song. He loved the experience but, unsurprisingly, he agreed with his parents that this was not the practical choice professionally. In his twenties, Daniel enjoyed weekends power boating and sailing on Long Island and snow skiing in Vermont.

Daniel met Sharon Camp at a party in her apartment on February 10, 1967. Henceforth admiring her as "blond, bright, and beautiful," the two were married October 18, 1969. After welcoming Heather, Jeff, and Taryn to their family, Daniel and Sharon looked forward to taking their children on trips to Wildwood and Cape May, with a yearly highlight being their stay at Sister Dorothy's house in VA – leisurely days in the pool, drinking Slurpees, and eating Krispy Kreme, made even better when shared with Sister Jeani and her family! In recent years, Daniel and Sharon have blessed their children and grandchildren with adventures in Wildwood, Ocean City, and Disneyworld.

Along with his parents, Daniel was pre-deceased by five of his siblings, Alfred, John and Ronald Lee, Dorothy Eng and Jean Lee.

He will be forever loved and remembered by his wife of 55 years, Sharon (Camp) Lee; three children, Jeff Lee and his wife Laurie of NJ, Heather and her husband Will Montague of MD, and Taryn Lee of NH; six grandchildren, Wills, Colby, Cambria, Avery, Carys and Eliana; one sister, Lena Mah of FL, along with many nieces and nephews.

Visitation hours will be held at First Church of Merrimack, 7 Baboosic Lake Road, Merrimack NH on Saturday, October 26th, 2024 from 1:00 – 2:45 PM with funeral services to follow at 3:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Daniel's memory can be made to the Nashua Center (nashuacenter.org/donate), the organization that has provided care for Taryn for the past 25 years.