COMMUNITY

Charles (Chuck) Lee passes at 72

Chuck Lee rides in the 2019 KeizerFEST parade (File).

Charles E. (Chuck) Lee, a fixture in Salem-Keizer education, passed away on Saturday, Sept. 4, at the age of 72.

Lee, born May 18, 1949 in Seattle, served on the Salem-Keizer School Board and represented Keizer from 2007 to 2019. He was the founding president of Blanchet Catholic School in Salem from 1997 to 2013.

Before relocating to Oregon he was an educator in Washington state where he was the youngest Catholic School principal when he was hired at the age of 25.

Lee served on the Keizer City Council from 2001 to 2007; he ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2006.

In 2014 he helped found the Career Technical Education Center in Salem, a public-private project to prepare high school students for high-skill jobs. Lee served as president.

Charles Lee is survived by his wife, Krina Lee.