July 24, 2022, 96, Goldsboro –
Dr. E. Lee Adams passed away peacefully in his sleep early in the hours of July 24, 2022 at Kitty Askins Hospice in Goldsboro, NC.
“Doc Adams”, as many affectionately called him, was born August 14, 1925 in Adamsville, the section of Goldsboro named for his family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Minnie Fulton & Benjamin Franklin Adams, and sisters Ola Bee Butler & Ercell McDougall.
Lee graduated from Goldsboro High School, where he played many sports for the Earthquakes, notably being All-District center on the football team & number one on the tennis team. Enlisting in the Navy as soon as eligible in 1943, Naval AO 3rd Class Adams was assigned to a PB4Y-2 bomber in the VPB-120 squadron stationed at Shemya Air Force Base in the far Aleutian Islands when WWII ended. After his honorable discharge, Lee completed a BS degree in Biology with a French minor in three years at Wake Forest University, sharing time there with its most famous alum Arnold Palmer. After completion of a Doctor of Optometry program at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1953, now Dr. Adams returned to his hometown and served the members of the community with eye care for 58 years.
Constantly volunteering, Lee was most active in the Relay For Life, Boy Scouts, Lion’s Club, and the tennis program at the Boys’ Club. Always on the go, ‘Doc’ was a fixture at the YMCA, ran his 1st Marine Corps marathon at age 55, and biked triathlon legs up until his 90th year with some of the many friends he formed through his athletic activities.
President of the North Carolina Optometric Society from 1972-74, Dr. Adams received numerous awards in his lifetime for his career and volunteer work.
Lee was a long-time member and generous donor of St. Luke Methodist Church, religion and fellowship being two of the most important pillars of his extraordinary life.
Surviving family members include his wife, the former Hazel Burke, his daughter Betty Susan, sons Edwin Lee, Jr. & Glenn Scott, and a granddaughter Alexan.
In lieu of flowers, E. Lee Adams preferred donations be sent to the Fulton & Adams Scholarship Fund at Wake Forest University.
Office of University Advancement
Wake Forest University
PO Box 2772
Winston Salem, NC 27109
Donations can also be made online at www.giving.wfu.edu
(Please include a note indicating the name of the scholarship.)
The family also wished to acknowledge and honor the wonderful treatment Dr. Adams received by numerous healthcare practitioners.
Memorial Service will be held at St. Luke Methodist Church Saturday July 30th at 2pm, 1608 E. Pine St. in Goldsboro. Friends will be greeted in the church parlor following the service.
