Lee (Leon) Joseph Danis' Obituary
Lee (Leon) Joseph Danis, 88, of Dallas, Texas died September 21, 2023. He was born August 10, 1935 in Burlington, Vermont to Arthur and Alice Danis. He and his six siblings were the first generation of their family born in the United States. At home, his family both proudly celebrated their French Canadian heritage and acclimated to life in a new country, as the children grew up speaking French to their mother and English to their father.
The hard-working independence that marked Lee’s life began early, as his father required his sons to work at the family grocery store and become financially independent at age 13. His entrepreneurial spirit emerged early as well, as he enrolled in the Army at age 17 on his own initiative as a way to access the GI Bill and secure a university education that his family could not otherwise afford. However, the jump from small neighborhood French-speaking schools to a full university was daunting. In his first semester at the University of Vermont, he found himself unprepared academically, failing every class but French, and in danger of losing his financial aid. Overwhelmed but determined, he reached out for help from professors and classmates and committed himself to the hard work needed to catch up and pass his classes. The next semester, he made the Dean’s List and later graduated in 1960 with a degree in Marketing. He was the first person in his family to graduate from a university. He began his career with Mutual of New York and lived in various cities — including Wichita, KS, New York City, Dallas and Houston — as his career progressed.
Faith was always part of his life, but he was unsettled by teaching from his childhood that emphasized his eternal destiny was dependent on his own works. This left him without confidence that his salvation was secure. On a road trip in his early thirties, a business colleague shared Ephesians 2:8-9 with him, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Overcome by hearing the truth of God’s grace in salvation for the first time, he asked to stop the car and immediately prayed by the roadside to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. His faith in Christ became the defining mark of his life, and in time, he led each of his siblings to know Christ as well.
On June 20, 1970, he married Susan Wilson Danis in Houston, Texas. After their two daughters were born, they prayerfully considered the years ahead, and in 1976 they moved to a small town, Nacogdoches, to raise their family. To make the move possible, Lee gave up a career he loved in commercial real estate to work at a local bank, First Federal Savings & Loan.
Years later, at the same time he was named president of the bank, he believed the Lord was giving him the opportunity to return to commercial real estate by starting his own firm. He and Susan had prayed and prepared for that day, and she had unwavering confidence in him. His faith, tenacity, and hard work saw him through a year with no income that laid the foundation for 35 fulfilling years owning the only commercial real estate firm in Nacogdoches, Texas. Lee’s faith guided his business career. His peers at the Fredonia Rotary Club awarded him the 4-Way Award for exemplifying his values and ethics in how he conducted his business and personal life.
Lee and his family attended Grace Bible Church in Nacogdoches and built lifelong, faith-filled friendships there. He served as an elder for 20 years, guiding the church through several challenging leadership transitions.
Susan was his confidant, partner, and best friend for 45 years. In every season, they pursued shared interests that they enjoyed together, such as sailing, golfing, and traveling. They took great joy in giving generously to missionaries, pastors, seminaries, and other faith-based initiatives. Sadly, in 2009, she was diagnosed with early onset dementia. Lee faithfully upheld his vow of “in sickness and in health” and devoted himself to caring for her until she went to Heaven in 2016.
Even in loss, Lee’s faith guided him as he established a new life in Dallas, where his daughters live. In 2019, Lee met Pedie Bramblett and their love for each other led to marriage. The Lord gave them four years together, and they made the most of it with new friends, new travels, and new family traditions. Together, they embraced life to the fullest and each gained new life from the other.
Lee’s daughters will always cherish their childhood memory of waking up and seeing the light shining from under his study door as he woke up early each day to spend time with the Lord in prayer and reading the Bible. His greatest gift to his family were his decades of faithfulness to the Lord and his daily prayers for each of them, which were always a source of comfort and confidence.
Lee faced the end of his life in the same way he lived his life: fully and with faith. He never stopped living, but kept reading, learning, giving, traveling, attending sporting events, and even still pulled the occasional prank. He often remarked in his last months how thankful he was for the 88 years the Lord had given to him and that he couldn’t image how the Lord could have blessed him more.
Lee was preceded in death by his parents Arthur & Alice Danis, his wife Susan Wilson Danis, and five of his siblings, Jeannine Dattilio, Gisele Fleming, Claude Danis, Paul Danis, and Norma Daley.
He is survived by his wife Pedie Bramblett Danis, his daughters and their husbands, Rebecca & Blake Holmes and Carolyn & Michael Chapman, as well as seven grandchildren: Avery, Gage, Ellie & Wesley Holmes and Cooper, Cecily & Andrew Chapman. He is also survived by his brother Al Danis.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, September 28 at 10 a.m. in the chapel at Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, with a reception to follow at the church. Memorial donations may be made to Dallas Theological Seminary’s Espanol program, which Lee and Susan faithfully supported because of her love for missions and Spanish-speaking cultures. (https://secured.dts.edu/donate/ or by mail to Dallas Theological Seminary, PO Box 734215, Dallas TX 75373-4215, Memo: DTS in Espanol)
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