By RICHARD WALKER
and MICHELLE BEAHM
North Kitsap Herald staff

POULSBO — To hear the story told, Ron Lee was a guy you wanted to hang around with.

He was a mechanic. He flew small airplanes. He was a fly fisherman. He rode a Harley. He played the harmonica and banjo and sang. He was an artist.

Geez, he even did flower arranging — and not the put-the-cut-flowers-in-a-vase kind of arranging. We’re talking about Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement that is steeped in the philosophy of developing a closeness with nature. It’s about creative expression, about shape, line and form.

“He was a really fascinating guy,” said Amy Geil, who worked for Lee in the North Kitsap School District’s transportation department.“He was a true renaissance man. He was able to do so many things, and he was good at all of them.”

And on top of that, he was a really nice guy, she said. He was a mentor and a father figure to his younger coworkers. He attended their weddings and retirement parties, and he was at the hospital when their children were born.

Lee’s family asks that people who attend his celebration of life on May 2 “join us with a story of Ron.” There will undoubtedly be quite a few stories shared.

Lee, director of transportation for the school district for 27 years, died April 16, one month before his 64th birthday. The celebration of his life will begin at 3 p.m. in the Suquamish Tribe’s House of Awakened Culture.

His death, his family wrote, “has left a great void to his family and friends.”

Ronald Eugene Lee was born May 12, 1951, in Raymond. According to his family, he spent his working career “in dedication to the school districts in Washington state”; the bulk of that career was spent at North Kitsap.

Patty Page, superintendent of the North Kitsap School District, said she is “deeply saddened” by Lee’s death.

“He was a major part of our school district for a number of years,” Page said. “He did a remarkable job. I’ve never seen a transportation department that was as well managed, and his heart and soul were around kids and his staff.”

Lee’s job had a student-safety aspect that went beyond ensuring buses were well maintained. As transportation director, he was up at 3:30 a.m. on snowy winter mornings to assess road conditions. Based on his assessment, the superintendent made the decision whether to use alternate bus routes, open school late or declare a snow day.

School board member Scott Henden said, “I think he ran the department well. Ron was always responsive. We certainly saw him at a lot of meetings.“He was just a great guy.”

Lee is survived by his daughter, Abby Lee; stepson, Aaron Strozyk; sisters, Mary Katherine Lee and Karen Lee; and brother, Rick Lee.