Lee, Gerhard B. MADISON – Emerit Professor Gerhard B. Lee, age 88, of Madison, died on Sunday, Feb.
19, 2006, at St. Mary’s Hospital with his family present. He was born Nov. 27, 1917, on the family dairy farm
near Deerfield, the second oldest son of Peter and Agnes (Grevstad) Lee. He attended Liberty Prairie School,
served in the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937 and graduated from Deerfield High School in 1938. From
1938 to 1942, he managed the family farm. He served in the U.S. Army from 1942 through 1946; he was
trained as an engineer and was assigned to the 730th Engineering Company in New Guinea and the
Philippines. After the war, he returned to UW-Madison and graduated with a B.S. degree in Agriculture (soils)
in 1948. On June 16, 1948, he married Mildred Stitgen at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Madison. He received
his M.S. degree in soil science from the University of Wisconsin in 1949 and served as assistant agronomist at
South Dakota State from 1949 to 1951. He returned to UW-Madison in 1951 where he continued his graduate
work in soils, served as an instructor in the Soils Department and worked part-time for the Wisconsin
Geological and Natural History Survey and the Soil Conservation Service of the U. S. Department of
Agriculture. He completed his Ph.D. in Soil Science in 1955 and was appointed assistant professor in the
Department of Soil Science at UW-Madison in the fall of 1956. He was promoted to associate professor in
1960 and to professor of soils science and environmental studies in 1974. He helped create and was the first
chair of the Land Resources graduate program and he served in that position for six years. He was appointed a
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and won awards for teaching and
advising. He was a member of and held leadership positions in a variety of professional associations including
the America Registry of Certified Professionals in Agronomy, Crops and Soils (ARCPACS), the Soil
Conservation Society of America, and the Wisconsin Society of Professional Soil Scientists. He retired in
1988 with Emeritus status. In retirement, Gerhard spent a great deal of time managing and improving his farm
near Cambridge. He planted several acres of trees and restored a wetland. He became a certified master
gardener, and volunteered as a docent at Olbrich Gardens. As he had throughout his adult life, he maintained a
garden and fruit trees at the family home in Madison. In all these endeavors, he was able to put into practice
many of the principles he taught in his courses at the University. Gerhard was a lifelong member of Holy
Cross Lutheran Church. He was active in the Koshkonong Prairie Historical Society. He also wrote a memoir
about his life growing up on a farm. Gerhard loved the land, especially the area where he grew up. He was a
much-loved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, neighbor and friend; he will be sorely missed, but
remembered with great affection by those whose lives he touched. Survivors include Mildred, loving wife of
57 years; four daughters, Susan (Jim) Conant of Fairfax Station, Va., Rebecca Lee (Jack Theel) of Madison,
Nancy (Fred) Stratman of Dodgeville and Judith Lee of Madison; grandchildren, Jennifer and Stephanie
Conant, Abigail Lee, Nicholai, Carl and Lee Stratman; sisters, Elizabeth (Frank) Anderson of Davis, Calif.,
and Eunice (Tom) Phillips of McFarland; brothers, Sigurd Lee of Mankato, Minn. and Peter (Chieko) Lee of
Clemson, S.C.; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, and brother, Olaf.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, Feb. 24, 2006, at 11 a.m., at HOLY CROSS LUTHERAN CHURCH,
2670 Milwaukee St., Madison, with the Rev. Mark Bartels presiding. Burial will be at Deerfield Lutheran
Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m., at GUNDERSON
EAST FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive. Visitation will also be held on Friday from 10 a.m. until the
time of the service, at the church. Memorials may be made to Holy Cross Lutheran Church or to UW
Foundation – G. B. Lee Fund, UW Foundation, 1848 University Avenue, P.O. Box 8860, Madison, WI 53708,
for student support in the Department of Soils Science at UW-Madison.
“Too old to plant trees for my own gratification, I shall do it for posterity… Though an old man, I am a young
gardener.” Thomas Jefferson (age 83)
“Treat the earth well, For it is not given to you by your parents, It is lent to you by your children.” Kenyan
Proverb
Gunderson East Funeral & Cremation Centers 5203 Monona Drive (608)221-5420 www.gundersonfh.com