Anne Lee

RALEIGH - Anne Roberts Lee, noted educator who developed and implemented Wake County's character education program, passed away August 20, 2013, after a lengthy battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare degenerative neurological disease.

Anne was born in Logan, West Virginia, to the late O.B. and Edith Roberts, and grew up in Wilson, North Carolina. She received her AB in education from Duke University, where she was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, and she later earned the M.Ed. at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Anne was a model teacher, known for her well-prepared and caring approach to education and her commitment to a positive classroom environment. She taught in Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Raleigh, where she also served as a school counselor and assistant principal at North Ridge Elementary School.

Anne also spent a decade developing and coordinating character education programs for Wake County Schools, and her efforts led to the county's national first place award for character education. Her programs were so respected that she was invited to implement similar programs in other school systems throughout the Southeast and Midwest.

Anne was a loving mother and a devoted wife. Her children could always count on her support at home, in school, and in all extracurricular activities. She enjoyed traveling internationally with her husband, Whit, and also loved taking trips with her family to the Outer Banks and Walt Disney World.

A devoted Christian, Anne shared her faith teaching Sunday School classes, conducting workshops, and counseling others. Her sweet, selfless, and encouraging spirit made a difference in many lives.

She is survived by her husband Whitfield; son Justin Lee of Raleigh; daughter Elizabeth Steere, her husband Ben, and sons Alexander and Zachary of Carrollton, GA; son, Jonathan Lee and sons Nollan and Theo of Cary; daughter, Kathryn Andriotis, her husband Pat, and sons Zoltan and Jagger Andriotis of Raleigh; brother Jim Roberts and his wife Georgann of Sanford; and niece Deborah Alvord, her husband Carter, and daughters Catherine and Elizabeth Alvord of Cary.

A memorial service in celebration of Anne's life will be held at Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh on Saturday at 1 pm, with the family available to receive condolences immediately following the service. A private burial will be held Saturday evening.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to CurePSP (psp.org) to help fund research toward a cure.