Memorial Service: 2:00PM Wednesday October 20, 2010
Location: Trinity Lutheran Church 5701 S. May OKC, OK

Tom Lee, 53 died in at home in Norman on October 14, 2010. He was born in St. Paul, MN on May 29, 1957 and moved to Oklahoma City in 1964 After high school he developed a passion for art and photography and they became his life's vocation.
Tom was a driving force behind the growth of the Paseo Arts District and during his time there he renovated 8 buildings including a church which he moved to Oklahoma City from Blackville, New Brunswick, Canada. He was the President of the Paseo Artists Association for 12 years. In 2008, he published the photography book, "History Repeats." Tom was a two-time Governor's Arts Awards recipient. In 1998, he received the Marilyn Douglass Memorial Award and in 2009, a Governor's Arts Award for community service. He was inducted into the Okalhoma City Communty College Alumni Hall of Fame and also served as the President of the Parish Council at Trinity Lutheran Church in Oklahoma City.
In 1998 he achieved a lifelong dream when he purchased the former St. Thomas More Church in Norman and made it his home with his wife and their pets. "The Chouse" was not only their home but became an important part of the art and music community in Norman and concerts and fundraisers were held there regularly.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Katherine, parents, Dick and Evon Lee of Oklahoma City, brother Todd, sister-in-law, Joy and nephews, Jacob and Eric of Oklahoma City and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, fellow artists and musicians, and personal assistants whom he credited with making his wonderful life possible. Tom asks his friends to look him up when they get to Heaven. He will be "talking to Van Gogh, Hemingway and Hunter S. Thompson."

In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the charity or cause of your choice. Tom's favorite charities included the American Civil Liberties Union, Greenpeace, Planned Parenthood and A New Leash on Life Assistance Dog Program.