In Memoriam | Richard Shattuck Lee,1937 – 2026

||| FROM MARY WEBER |||

Richard Shattuck Lee

Richard Shattuck Lee of Anacortes, Washington, passed away peacefully on January 13, 2026, in LaGrande, Oregon. Rich was born December 29, 1937, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Nelson Borland Lee and Mary Flagg.

Though he grew up in Woodstock, Vermont, he hungered for the terrain and adventures to be found in the rural areas of Canada and Alaska. Rich attended Milton Academy and graduated from Harvard University ‘60. He earned his PhD in Marine Biology from UCSB.

In 1960, he married Hope Tyler and they moved to Fairbanks, AK, where he and Hope lived in a one room, sod roofed cabin. They loved the off grid lifestyle and brought daughter Mary into the world there. Later, he took a job at Midland School in southern California, where son Sean was born. Following their divorce, Rich moved on to Catalina Island and married Margaret (Molly) Cooper and adopted her son David in 1965. They moved back to Alaska after he got his PhD, where he was a dean at University of Alaska, Juneau until he retired the first time. During his tenure there, he loved going to rural Alaskan villages and educating students. He discovered and named a deepsea fish off the coast of Peru.

Rich also made several trips to Japan to help with sustainable international fisheries. His love for wildlife and wide open spaces took him to Atlin, BC and many bird sanctuaries when he wasn’t working.

In 1989, he married Kate Williams and they built an amazing life together on Orcas Island, Washington over the next 35 years. While there, Rich directed the San Juan County Weed Board, a program he loved and worked very hard to grow local understanding and sustainable noxious weed management. Rich and Kate had several close friends and loved the quiet close knit community of full time residents on the island. He was especially fond of supporting the local people, businesses and charities.

Any opportunity that allowed, Rich had a camera in hand. He had a keen eye for the most beautiful aspects of nature: birds, bugs, plants, animals as well as landscapes. He even photographed the famous Orcas Bear that swam to visit them and wreak havoc with his birdfeeders! If he didn’t have a camera in his hand, then he had a fly rod or a book. He was a voracious reader of the natural history genre. Rich loved all things that tied nature and art together.

All of his children, grands and great grands love nature as a result of his enthusiasm for its beauty. All three grandchildren do beautiful nature photography, as well. He loved nearly every dog he met and before long, many became part of his story catalogue.

Rich spent the last few months of his life near family at LaGrande Post Acute Rehabilitation, and was visited by all of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren while there. Those who cared for him, loved him and did a great job making sure he was comfortable.

Rich was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Kate, his parents, and his brothers, Nelson and Elisha. He is survived by two brothers, John and Charlie, as well as his children: Mary (Jim) Hogan, Sean (Karla) Lee, and David Lee, 3 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren.

To honor his memory, the family asks that you make a donation to the Orcas Island Community Foundation, OPAL, Orcas Island Food Bank, or the Orcas Island Public Library or just take a walk in nature and observe all the beauty it has to offer.