Jeffrey Lee remembered for faith, smile

It was Jeffrey Lee’s cheery disposition that those close to him remember most fondly.

Tears and laughter filled the Class of 1949 Auditorium of Houston Hall Monday night, where over 300 gathered to celebrate his life. The Wharton and Nursing senior died Sunday morning after collapsing at the finish line of the Philadelphia Half Marathon.

The gathering was attended by students, along with faculty, administrators and Lee’s mother, father and brother, who arrived Monday morning from California.

“My two sons are God’s gifts,” said Howard Lee, Jeffrey’s father. “I couldn’t ask for a better son.”

Holding back tears, Howard expressed his gratitude to the audience for their support and kind words. He also urged students to share their love with their parents.

Howard also offered some insight into the last hours of Lee’s life. While Lee woke up at 5 a.m. Sunday to prepare for the marathon, he took time to text his mother — whose birthday was that day — before the race.

Lee was known by his teachers, advisers and peers as a dedicated student and friend who always had a smile on his face.

“Nobody smiled like Jeff,” said Eileen Lake, who was Lee’s Nursing adviser.

College junior Pallavi Podapati became friends with Lee after meeting him at an event for Alpha Iota Gamma, Penn’s professional healthcare fraternity.

“I walk in the room and the first thing I see is Jeff’s smile, and I was completely disarmed,” Podapati said.

Kathleen McCauley, associate dean for Academic Programs at the School of Nursing, said, “I wish I could be the best nurse in the world to take care of all of you and take away the pain.”

As the audience shared their memories of Lee, University Chaplain Chaz Howard encouraged students to reach out to each other and to use support provided to them by the University.

“What an amazing young man who lived an amazing life,” Howard said. “Penn lost one of its brightest stars.”

Despite the distance from California, Lee remained close to his family.

“To me, he … is a superstar,” his father said. “He was a loving, caring son.”

Lee also excelled at school, where he pursued a dual degree in healthcare management and was involved in several research projects. Earlier in the semester, he had spoken with Lake to request permission to enroll in seven classes.

As a former member of Alpha Iota Gamma, Lee impacted many lives.

“It’s never easy to have a classmate pass away so suddenly, and having it be one of our brothers makes a bigger impact on AIR as a fraternity,” College senior and Alpha Iota Gamma President Jesse Rappaport wrote in an email.

“It truly is a tragedy to lose someone like Jeff,” Rappaport continued. “He was a great guy, and we were always glad to have him around. Many members were close to him and he will always be remembered for being well-liked by everyone. He was very busy and from what I understand also involved in various different things.”

Last spring, Lee deactivated from the fraternity, but remained close with his brothers, Rappaport added.

Despite his involvement in school and activities, Lee always had time for people.

This fall, College freshman Christopher Chi first met Lee during New Student Orientation. At the time, Lee was a member of Peers Helping Incoming New Students.

McCauley described Lee as “legendary in mentoring.”

Chi later got to know Lee through church. “He was constantly smiling and seemed like a cheerful guy … All I can say is that I am deeply saddened that I couldn’t spend more time with him on Earth, but I know he is in a better place now,” Chi wrote in an email.

Lee, a member of Renewal College Fellowship, made his faith a priority in life.

Nursing senior Jillian Fleischer worked with Lee for the past two rounds of clinical rotations. Fleischer first connected with Lee earlier this year, when Lee noticed that Fleischer was flipping through a Bible that was on a desk. He asked her if she was a Christian.

“We started having this wonderful conversation about the Bible and prayer. Because we were brother and sister in Christ, there was an immediate connection,” Fleischer said. “I could talk to him about anything and any concerns I had. We shared prayer requests. I prayed with him about the job for Microsoft,” she added. Lee had planned to work at Microsoft upon graduation.

“It was like we had known each other for a long time. That’s how he would talk, and I have a feeling he was like that with everybody. Because he was in my clinical rotation, we’re really going to be feeling his loss,” Fleischer said. “Even if someone met him for only 10 minutes, they always remembered him. Everybody always remembered him.”

Nursing senior Tiffany Huang met Lee at a Bible study group their freshman year, growing close with him after their first nursing clinical rotations junior year.

“The patients always asked why I didn’t pursue Jeff,” Huang said. “For every clinical, at least one patient would ask if he was single, saying ‘You should get on it.’ They would say, ‘Why don’t you pursue that young man over there?’”

During clinicals, Huang explained, students often faced the deaths of their patients and many were saddened by these incidents.

“He really felt how short life is. He really understood. He was a really good person to talk to when we were going through that hard time,” Huang said. “He was like a light in the room.”

A formal memorial is planned for Lee after winter break.

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