Hannelore Elisabeth Lee

Hannelore was born July 12th, 1932 in Sundhausen/ Gotha Germany to Kurt and Henriette Messerschmidt. She was raised and educated in Germany and worked as a licensed millinery. In 1952 she married Horst Lehman. They had one son, Matthias. The marriage ended in divorce in 1954.

Hannelore and her son moved to Darmstadt, West Germany where she met and married Eldred Duane Lee. After Duane adopted Matthias and ended his tour of duty in the US Airforce, the family came to Fargo, North Dakota in March 1957.

After working at various jobs, Hannelore decided to pursue a college education Minnesota State University in Moorhead, MN. She graduated with honors in May of 1972 with an B.S degree and started teaching at Fargo South High School in September of 1972.

After her retirement in May of 1995, the couple spent their time traveling and enjoying summers at their cottage on Turtle Lake, near Hawley, MN. Eventually they made the cottage their permanent home and spent the winter months in Tucson, AZ. In 2022, after Duane's death she moved to Albuquerque, NM to be closer to her granddaughter's Renata and Natasha and to watch her baby grandaughter grow up. Hannelore enjoyed reading, gardening and cooking but her greatest joy in life was her family, especially her grandchildren and great granddaughter, Isla.

She is survived by her son Matthias Lee ( Catherine), Her grandchildren Renata Farnham, Natasha Bustamante (Aaron), great granddaughter Isla, Elizabeth, Gabriella and Patrick Lee. Also by her nephews in Germany Matthias and Michael, and niece Micole. She was preceded in death by her husband Duane Lee and her brother Eberhart (Gisela) Messerschmidt. As her hospice staff said in describing her, she was an impactful woman and will be dearly missed by all that knew and loved her.