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Rev. Curtis Lee
10/26/2023
My heart is full of sadness, yet I must be glad that my dear Curtis is at peace with the Lord. The Lord came and took him from my arms into His own. Early Thursday morning he was suddenly taken from us. He had suffered so long and just the day before he said, “I don’t know why the Lord doesn’t take me on. I can’t do anything anymore. The Lord heard his cry. It still seems like a dream and I was not ready to let him go. Please pray for our family as we go through this difficult time.
Rev. Curtis Lee went to be with the Lord on October 26, 2023. He is at Lankford Funeral Home in DeLand, FL. Viewing will be from 5pm to 7pm on Wednesday, November 1st and the funeral will be held at Christ Wesleyan Church, 90 Garfield Road, Enterprise, Fl 32725 at 1 pm on Thursday, November 2nd.
Curtis Lee was born March 23, 1942, in Doe Run, Ga to a single mother, Eva Lee Hobby. The family moved to Florida at 2 years of age. Curtis grew up in Sanford with 5 brothers and sisters. He joined Future Farmers as a teen and hoped to be a farmer. However, he met Jesus in Paola Wesleyan Methodist Church in his early teens and heard a call to be a preacher. He attended Southern Wesleyan University (nee Central Wesleyan College) where he met the first of two wonderful women of God from Virginia who would become his wife. Curtis married Beulah Ann Hunter from Blacksburg, Va and the two headed to DeLand, Fl to pastor a church plant. Curtis and Beulah raised four sons, Curtis, Jr., Chris (Katie), Carey (Marybeth), and Carl (Franca).
They served in DeLand for seven years before moving to Jacksonville to start another church. For much of his career, Curtis was a bi-vocational pastor. He supported his family by earning a Master of Education degree from Stetson University and teaching in public schools for over twenty years, including locally at Enterprise and Osteen Elementary. After three years in Jacksonville, Curtis became pastor of Remlik Wesleyan Church in Virginia and served there for 7 very blessed years. The family moved back to Florida where Curtis was Associate Pastor at Paola for several years before starting Christ Wesleyan Church in Enterprise, Fl. He pastored that church until his retirement in 2014.
Curtis lost his first wife, Beulah in 2008, and missed her tremendously, for she was always by his side. God filled his need by sending Mary Taylor Blice to him and the two married in January 2011. Both Mary and Beulah were active partners in Curtis’ ministry, and he would be the first to tell you he could not have accomplished what he did without them. When his Parkinson’s disease began taking a toll, Mary gave him the strength to continue pastoring and loved him until the end. All told, Curtis ministered for 53 years in the Wesleyan Church.
God blessed Curtis with a large extended family of children, children by marriage, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and he loved them all. Children include Ken Taylor (Christy), Sylvia Mehegan (David), Amanda Riley, Paul Taylor, and Vonda Harrington (Phil). Grandchildren include Brian Lee (Shelby), Hunter Lee, Ethan Bayotas, Chrisha Bayotas, Belle Anna Lee, Jessica Taylor, Séan Taylor (Rachel), Justin Taylor, Brittany Taylor, Rebekah Marafino (Johnny), Ruth Clark (Jon), Rachel Visser (Jürgen), David Mehegan, Jr. (Lanae), Philip Mehegan, Isaac Mehegan, Elaine Greer (Jonathan), Emily Elliston (Marcus), Katie Litteral (Chris), Luke Riley, Benjamin Riley, Joshua Taylor, Kenneth Adam Taylor (Claire), Philip Harrington (Loretta), and David Harrington (Kimberly). Great-grandchildren include Kaylynn Lee, Porter Lynnen, Ella Clark, Adeline Clark, Cora Clark, Sanne Visser, Hudson Mehegan, Samuel Greer, Annabella Greer, Annalyse Elliston, Ruby Taylor, Philip Harrington, Jr., Luke Harrington, Joshua Harrington, Noah Harrington, Levi Harrington, and Caleb Harrington. He is also survived by a sister, Dorothy O’Brien, a brother Earl Lee (Tonya), a brother-in-law, Robert Morris, an aunt, Irene Horton, and daughters by marriage, Patty Lee and Angela Lee.