Mr. Lee Hugh Shead

Lee Hugh Shead, 91, of Anderson passed peacefully from this earth on the evening of December 3, 2015. Visitation with family and friends will be held from 10:00 – 11:00am, Wednesday, December 9th at Nobles Funeral Chapel with the funeral service immediately following at 11:00am. Interment will be in Waller Cemetery in Richards, Texas with Rev. Gary Ladd officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Nobles Funeral Chapel.

Born on August 14, 1924 to Edna and Walter Shead in Dacus, Montgomery County, Texas, he graduated from Tomball High School and enlisted in the Army Air Corp on April 8, 1943. After training, he was assigned to the 840th Squadron of the 483rd Bomb Group H, Fifteenth Air Force. As a member of the flight crew of a B-17, he flew bombing missions over Germany from Sterparone, Italy. On April, 20, 1945, his plane was disabled and the crew bailed out over the German Alps. He was captured and held as a POW.

Lee married the love of his life, Bettie Ford in 1947 and they raised their five children in Tomball, Texas. Mr. Shead was employed by Service Pipeline Company until it merged with Amoco and ultimately with BP. He retired in the mid 1980s and Lee and Bettie moved to their family farm in Grimes County.

Lee was not one to be idle. He loved tinkering around the house. He always had a project to work on and was very talented at problem solving. He found great satisfaction in taking a broken item and making it work again. He raised beautiful and bountiful vegetable gardens and enjoyed ranching. He kept plenty of fat catfish for the grandkids to catch and enjoyed sitting around the wood stove on a cool morning with a cup of coffee.

He is survived by his four daughters, Patsy Neale and husband Fred of Mexia, Barbara McGowen of California, Brenda Lingenfelter of Montgomery and Diana Beeman and husband Dan of Tomball; son Leldon Shead and wife Jill of Anderson; grandchildren Aaron Shead, Nathan Lingenfelter, William Beeman, Michael Lingenfelter, Allie Beeman, Emily Heinrich, Taylor McGowen, Audrey McGowen, Renee Monroe, and Rebecca Lingenfelter; and great-grandchildren Logan Athel, Sam Harrison, Corban Lee, Maxwell Jefferson, Lily Pearl, Leldon Caleb, Ryan Walter and Joanna Ruth.

Serving as pallbearers are Aaron Shead, Dan Beeman, Fred Neale, Nathan Lingenfelter, Perry Monroe and William Beeman. Honorary pallbearers are Michael Lingenfelter and Aaron Heinrich.

Lee was preceded in death by his wife, Bettie Ford, his mother, Edna Walker, his father and step-mother, Walter and Mary “Flossie” Shead and his brother, Leldon Shead.