Lee Earl Erminger

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Dick Fontaine on January 12, 2003:

Lee and Donna married graduation day after being engaged for six years. They were married for forty-seven years...in sickness and in health. It is impossible to write about one of them without thinking of the other. Donna moved to West Point in 1953. They were inseparable for a half-century--Donnie was one of us in D2. Lee's health was an issue as early as our cadet days. He chose Armor but resigned in 1958. Sons Mark (1956) and Daniel (1958) were born in Army hospitals. In 1960, Lee was re-appointed to the Army Ordnance Corps where his engineering and mechanical aptitude served the Army well until his first heart attack in 1967 led to his medical retirement in 1971. Lee joined Martin Marietta in Orlando. Mark graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1978. Lee retired on disability from Martin in 1983. He was very active in the American Ordnance Association. His lifelong hobby and passion was building and flying radio-controlled aircraft. Lee endured arthritis, four heart attacks, two unsuccessful bypass operations, carotid artery bypass surgery, two strokes after abdominal aorta bypass surgery and the installation of plastic renal arteries. Lee endured eight other surgeries to remove cysts and tumors. He survived until 2003 long after he decided that he had no more spare parts for bypass surgery. Lee's motto was "Keep Going!" He died peacefully in his own bed in January 2003. With great humility and respect, I called him "Iron Man Erminger." He will be missed.

admin