By TAYLOR BROWN
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Mike Lee was a legend in the Mon Valley.
From his success in business and endless dedication to his family, to his philanthropic nature when it came to supporting his community, he never turned away a friend in need.
Mike passed away at his home in Stockdale Saturday surrounded by the people who meant the most to him.
He was 78.
Always proud of his Mid-Mon Valley roots, he is being remembered as a kind, caring and compassionate man who always put his family, friends, customers and community first.
Mike was born on Oct. 10, 1945 in Charleroi, and after graduating from Greenbrier Military School in Lewisburg W.V. and continuing his education at West Virginia University and Robert Morris College, he came back to his roots and planted them firmly in the Mon Valley as he got involved at his family’s business, Lee Supply Company Inc.
A family-owned-and-operated business founded by Ed Lee in 1954, Lee Supply Co. has called the Mon Valley home for nearly seven decades. He started the company to meet the needs of the mining industry by selling top-quality mining products to the coal industry in western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and eastern Ohio.
Lee Supply Company is headquartered in Charleroi, with branches in, Beaver, W.Va., West Columbia, S.C. and a McElvenny Division in Downingtown, Pa.
Dave Lee said he remembers growing up in a small home on Fallowfield Avenue with his older brother, Mike, as the family business got its footing.
The two, who were considered best friends, at only 6 and 9-years-old respectively, were told the dining room was off limits, and that Mike was no longer allowed to chase his younger brother around the “office.”
After their parents divorced, Dave said Mike became more than a brother, and took on the role of a father figure.
“He would keep me in line, but then there was no one to keep him in line,” Dave Lee laughed recalling their childhood.
After Mike married his wife, Maggie, and had their son, Kevin, they moved in with Dave.
“We were all close,” Dave said. “A very tight-knit family.”
Around that time, they took over the business from their father in 1972.
“When we took over, we had 10 employees, me, my brother, my dad and my uncle and six other people with us, most of them were family friends. They say you don’t hire family, or friends, but we went in the opposite direction and did exactly that.”
Dave Lee recalled how the business has evolved over the years, and how it created a bond between him and his brother that was truly unbreakable.
“We were brothers, but we were partners, too,” Dave said. “He was my brother, but also my boss and at the end of the day, my best friend.
“He taught me about determination, and to be patient. To never make knee-jerk reactions and to always think things through. He also taught me to never give up, and to always be honest and have respect for people.”
In the 1980s, Mike’s sons Kevin Lee and Shawn Lee, got involved in the family business.
Brothers Kevin and Shawn now serve as third-generation leadership in the company, following in their father’s footsteps.
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