Lee Eberly
EBERLY, OGGEL, SCHOON, GALLATIN, SMITH
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 2/23/2023 at 15:13:51
Lee was born in 1941 in LeMars, Iowa, the second of three sons born to Perk and Dorothy (Oggel) Eberly. After graduating in 1960 from West High in Waterloo, he attended the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa for two years, then spent six months motorcycling through Europe. Following his return to Iowa, he was a research assistant in Physiology at UI. From there he went to the University of South Dakota, where he completed his BS (1967) and MS (1968) in biology, with a focus on birds of prey.
In 1970, he and Susan Schoon married. Together they raised three much-loved children, Elizabeth (Geoff Gallatin), Sarah (Ahmad Smith), and Benjamin; and over the years they welcomed four grandchildren into the family -- Elijah, Jillian, Katelyn, and Lillian.
From 1970-1981, Lee was a small business owner in South Dakota, working as a carpenter, contractor, and maker of fine furniture. In 1981, following a back injury, he returned to USD to study microbiology. In 1983, the family moved to Iowa City, where Lee joined the lab of UI microbiologist Irving Crawford. Following Irving’s death in ‘89, Lee became a staff member of the UI DNA Core Facility, from which he retired in 2001.
Lee loved working with wood to create elegant cabinetry and furniture. He and Susan built a solar home in South Dakota, and later remodeled several family homes in and around Iowa City. Lee was also an avid birdwatcher who enjoyed sharing his neighborhood with red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks, a variety of owls, and a panoply of smaller birds.
Lee is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren, by brothers Dean Eberly and Bob Eberly (Karla), and by in-laws Chris and Kat Schoon, Pete and Carla Schoon, and Hans and Jean Schoon.
Instead of a formal funeral, Lee asked that there be an informal gathering next spring for friends and family. Contact Sue if you would like to be notified when a day and time has been set for services. If you would like to make a memorial gift, Lee asked that these be directed to Iowa’s Raptor Resource Project in Decorah, www.raptorresource.org.
Finally, Lee wanted to express his gratitude to family and friends for making his life such a wonderful, stimulating, and exciting journey.
Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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