Mpls - James Stewart Lee was born March 14, 1943 to Alfred Stewart Lee and Marjorie Nelson Lee. Jim spent an active outdoor childhood in Cedar, Minnesota, with parents, sisters Ruth (Richard) Smith and Linda (Ronald) Rodgers, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins nearby. When he was 10 his father died. The Cedar community was a loving anchor for his family.

Jim graduated from St. Francis High School in 1961. He studied at the University of Minnesota, joined the National Guard, married Sharyn Spence, and fathered Christine and Michelle Lee. Michelle predeceased him. He graduated from Metropolitan State University. After divorcing he married Katherine Brehm. He loved their children Wendy Surprise, Teresa Rice and Peter Brehm, and was extremely proud of his grandchildren Mimi and Jackson Mejia, Mattea, Simon and Lilah Rice, and Harrison Brehm.

He had a long career at Federal Cartridge Company, retiring in 2000 as manager of shotshell manufacturing. He focused on efficiencies in complex operations. As his next career he and Katherine restored the historic Krug mansion in Glendive, Montana and brought hundreds of guests to Charley Montana Bed & Breakfast. In 2007 Jim and Katherine moved back to Minnesota. They settled into an active life in The Falls and Pinnacle in northeast Minneapolis.

Pancreatic cancer entered his life in 2022. His medical team at North Memorial guided him through procedures and a long remission. He died peacefully at home on May 3, 2026, tended by Katherine, North Memorial Hospice, and Christopher Sellwood,

Jim was a kind, humorous, thoughtful man with simple tastes. His ashes will be interred May 15, 2026 at 5pm. 18350 Cedar Drive N.W., Cedar (Oak Grove), MN. Donations to the Anoka County Historical Society will be welcome.