The Rev. Knute W.D. Lee Knew No Bounds

The Rev. Knute W.D. Lee, a former bandleader and ace Navy pilot who became a writer and Lutheran minister, didn't seem to know the meaning of the word "impossible."

To him life was a flight of discovery enhanced by study and powered by the moment. That attitude was clear in his sermons and memoirs but also in his daily conversations, including visits with prison inmates.

Mr. Lee died Wednesday (Feb. 3) of the effects of Alzheimer's disease. He was 82.

"His sermons were earthy because he was a real man of action, a serious doer," said his son Robert Lee of Enumclaw. "He was also impulsive, which often got him into trouble."

While flying for the Navy during World War II he'd often say he was taking a short hop to another island to visit his brother. The island would turn out to be 500 miles away.

Another time, Mr. Lee, who brought his band instruments on an aircraft carrier, took off with a trumpet in his Hellcat cockpit and nearly crashed because the trumpet case blocked the control stick.

But his impulsiveness also gave him reserves of courage, as when he bombed an enemy submarine that had sunk American ships off the West Coast.

Or when he circled his plane for hours to protect a downed wing man in a life raft, only to run out of gas himself and ditch at sea. Rescued by one Navy submarine and transferred to another, he surfaced only to learn the war was over.

He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Silver Star for conspicuous heroism.

His exploits were featured in a self-published book, "Survivor: Knute's Wild Story," and on a 1950s television series, "Navy Log."

After the war he entered the ministry, serving as chaplain for construction workers at an air base in Greenland (1951-1952), and teaching the Bible at Lutheran Bible Institute in Issaquah (1973-1981).

He had also taught at Pacific Lutheran University (1961-64) and pastored at Bethlehem Lutheran Church (1964-1973), both in Tacoma.

Born in Spring Grove, Minn., he earned a bachelor's degree in music at Luther College and worked as a high-school band director and teacher in Iowa, Minnesota and Montana.

After World War II he studied at Luther Theological Seminary in Minnesota and was ordained a Lutheran minister in 1948. After pastoring at churches in Bremerton and in Decorah, Iowa, he earned a doctorate in education at Columbia University in 1961.

Aside from his book about World War II, he published a book of sermons he wrote while in Greenland, "Plain Talk in an Arctic Chapel."

"His faith certainly is what guided his life," said his son David Lee of Columbia, Md. "He was a high-energy person, very dynamic.

"He cared for people, whether shoveling coal for my great aunt, or volunteering at a shelter. He also cared passionately about music and liked playing with other people. He'd always get out his trumpet or trombone and try to get others to play."

Also surviving are his wife of 52 years, Shirley Lee of Duvall; his sons John Lee, Burien, and Philip Lee, Sacramento; 11 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Feb. 13 at Lutheran Bible Institute, 4221 228th Ave. S.E., Issaquah 98029. Remembrances may go to the institute.