Stephen “Stevie” Lee, age 65, passed away peacefully at his home in Maryville, TN on Friday, January 20, 2023, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Stevie is survived by his wife, Billie Jo Lee, son Wyatt Walker Lee, and stepson Noah Bane Pilotte of the home in Maryville, TN. Also surviving are his sons: Calvin Edward Lee and Cole Travis (Emily) Lee whom he shared with his ex-wife Joy Cruse, brothers: Ricky (Bobbie) Lee and Tracy (Barbara) Lee, sister-in-law: Ann Lee, nieces and nephews: Ray Lee, Josh Lee, Mandy (Eric) Weatherford, Chris (Angie) Lee, Candy (Lou) Gendle, Heidi (Kevin) Turbeville, Tiffany (Daniel) Hyatt, Raven Lee, and Robbie Lee, great nieces and nephews: Morgan, Macy, Mason, Caden, Ally, Ben, Paige, Brittany, Nick, Amanda, Chad, Zack, Heather, Haley, Carley, Miles, Raya, Hayden, Conner, and Easton.
He was preceded in death by his parents: T. Edward and Rosie Norton Lee, brothers; Billy Lee and Murray “Gator” Lee, nephew; Frankie Lee, and great nephews; Caleb Lee and Alexander Chase “Pnut” Turbeville.
Stevie was born in Dillon, SC on October 15, 1957, and was a local star in his hometown. Stevie was an amazing athlete and Friday Night Lights every Friday night was his stage. He started playing varsity football in the 8th grade for Dillon High School. He played from 1972-1977 as a linebacker and fullback, never coming off the field. He received many awards throughout his high school career including MVP, All Southern, “Dirty Dozen”, Conference Player of the Year, and South Carolina Back of the Year. Stevie’s greatest award was being named All-American in 1977. He was one of the top athletes to ever come out of Dillon High School and the only All-American from DHS.
Stevie was pursued by many D1 schools and chose to attend school and play football for the University of South Carolina. He completed his academic and football career at Newberry College in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education.
He started his employment career with SCE&G/Dominion Energy in May of 1984. He held several positions during his 39 years of service, his last being Power Generation Dam Safety Technician. He was set to officially retire in March.
Stevie was the epitome of a family man and was very involved with his sons and the communities in which he lived. Stevie coached all his sons and many other children for several years in basketball, football, and baseball until he could no longer do it. He could be found many days at Crooked Creek Park, Maryville Little League fields, or football practices. He took two teams to the Dixie Youth World Series with his team winning the Sportsmanship Award in 2005. He was a true role model with a “never quit” attitude and while he pushed for his players to be disciplined and selfless on the field, he taught them to be hard working, respectful, dedicated, and have good moral character off the field.
He was a pillar in the communities he lived and touched the lives of many as a mentor and friend. He was involved with Lexington/Richland District 5 athletics. He coached the Chapin Middle School football team in 2011. He was also a member of the Chain Crew for Chapin High School Football from 2006-2011. He volunteered his time to help improve the baseball facilities at CHS by building batting cages, pitching mounds, windscreens and dugouts.
In addition to his love of his family and sports, Stevie also loved NASCAR. He was an integral part of the Special Projects Team with Darlington Raceway from 1992-2019. He held a variety of positions before ultimately becoming the Nighttime Infield Manager of Darlington Raceway.
He enjoyed his life and lived it to the fullest, whether he was boating, fishing, playing card games, attending concerts, enjoying good food, spending time with family and friends, admiring and driving old and fast cars, singing and playing his guitars, or saying something smart.
He also had a love for his animals and leaves five pups behind: Fluffy, Charlie, Bandit, Izzy, and Zoey.
Stevie’s smile lit up the room and he was larger than life in many ways. He was always willing to help anyone who needed him. He will be missed tremendously by those who knew him and loved him.
Special thanks to his EOL care team: Carissa, Ryan, Ingrid, and Beth.
We will be having a Celebration of Life on March 11, 2023 at 1 p.m. at the Vivian Johnson Memorial Golf Course in Dillon, SC.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dillon High School Athletics Association – Attn: Zach Hayes. We will be establishing a yearly scholarship in Stevie’s name at Dillon High School.
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