Donald Wallace Lees, age 92, of Colesville, MD, passed away on February 21, 2026. Born to Douglas and Helen Lees on June 30, 1933, Don enjoyed an idyllic childhood on his family’s farm in Owego, New York, next door to his grandparents Alexander and Mildred Lees. As a boy, he loved to hunt and tinker with inventions.

Don studied Civil Engineering at Lafayette College, then served in the Army Corps of Engineers. In 1957, he married the late Adrienne Jean Peters. They settled in Tonawanda, NY, where they had three children: Steve (Laurie Donaldson), Fred (Karen), and Barbara (Rudy Duarte). A new position at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission brought the family to Colesville in the 1960s.

Don was a devoted husband and father. As Adrienne pursued a career in nursing, he was often the parent at home in the evenings. Don supported his children in their sports endeavors, especially volleyball, and remained active in sports well into his senior years.

A true naturalist, Don was a dedicated volunteer for the Nature Conservancy around the Washington, D.C. area and at their Pine Butte Preserve in Montana. After retirement, he also volunteered as a handyman at the Volleyball House in Maryland.

Don was always willing to take on a project, no matter the size. He enjoyed working on his 1967 Alfa Romeo Spider and shared his passion for automobiles with his sons and grandson. He loved to pull out his Ford tractor to do chores around his wooded lot and help his neighbors with heavy lifting.

A voracious reader with wide-ranging interests and an appreciation for the absurd, Don enjoyed everything from nonfiction by author John McPhee to quirky comic strips like The Far Side and Speed Bump. He was a creative cook who had many admirers of his meatloaf surprise, Boeuf Bourguignon, and holiday bourbon cranberry sauce. He had a lifelong love of apples, specifically the Northern Spy. For years the family made an annual apple run to central New York for a bushel.

Don loved spending time with family and considered his grandchildren, Jenny, Caroline, and Todd, and his great-grandchildren, Abigail, Morgan, and Rory, great treasures.

Kind, steady, industrious, and capable, Don was a consummate gentleman who will be lovingly remembered and much missed by his family, friends, and neighbors.