Son finds body of former state representative from Harlingen [Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Texas]

Aug. 27--HARLINGEN -- Clayton Lee never gave up looking for his father, former state Rep. Donald Eugene Lee.

Lee, 78, became a resident of the Canterbury Court assisted living center last Monday; by Thursday, he was missing, Clayton said. He was last seen about 3 p.m. that day at the center.

Family and friends posted a missing person notice all over town and launched an exhaustive search. But Sunday morning, Clayton decided to return to a brushy area not far from Canterbury that had already been gone over.

"I just happened to want to look at a spot we had gone over before and see if we had missed anything. And that's when the unfortunate discovery was made," Clayton said.

Lee was found dead about 10:30 a.m. Sunday about a mile to three quarters of a mile from Canterbury, he said.

Lee, who was an independent insurance agent, was a former Harlingen city commissioner and a former Democratic state representative from Harlingen who

represented most of Cameron County from 1981 to 1986.

The family said he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, which they said is the third most prevalent form of dementia.

Clayton said his father became a resident of Canterbury only last Monday. "Apparently, he just wanted to go home," Clayton said.

Police said in a release Sunday that a body matching Lee's description was found that morning in a brushy area south of Camelot Drive, the street where Canterbury Court is located.

Justice of the Peace Eloy Cano pronounced him dead and ordered an autopsy.

Erica Moreno, executive director of the Canterbury Court, released a statement Sunday evening saying, "We are deeply saddened by this resident's passing, as we feel like we have lost a member of our own family. At this

time, we would like to extend our sympathy to the resident's family members. We have launched a thorough investigation into this incident and have also

notified state authorities.

"Resident safety and security at Canterbury Court is our highest priority. We want to thank the Harlingen Police Department and our staff for their extensive help and search efforts over the last three days."

Clayton said his father had "a very strong sense of justice, of right and wrong"

"My father was a lot like Harlingen; he was a friendly, dependable guy. He cared about people and tried to do the right thing," Clayton said.

His father grew up in the Great Depression, which is why he was always on the side of "the little guy."

"He was one of those guys -- we're losing those guys -- who are straight shooters; their word is their bond. You can count on them to do what they said they would do," Clayton said.

"He grew up really poor, dirt poor, during the Depression. He saw a lot of people who lost everything. And he felt the little guy didn't always get the same deal as other people."

He always fought to see that the Rio Grande Valley got the attention it deserved, Clayton said.

During his tenure in the House, he spearheaded efforts to strengthen building codes so that new homes would be better able to withstand windstorms, such as the ferocious winds of hurricanes, family members said Sunday evening.

Former state Rep. Larry Warner, who defeated Lee in a state House election

in 1986, remembered him as a dedicated public servant.

"He was a fine man and a good public servant," Warner said Sunday afternoon. "I got the House to pass a resolution thanking him for his service because, I said, he was a dedicated public servant who deserved the appreciation of

the public for all the hard work he had done."

Warner said Lee ran an insurance business in Harlingen. At the time of his service in the House, Lee's district covered all of Cameron County except

Brownsville, Warner said.

___

(c)2012 Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas)

Visit Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas) at www.valleymorningstar.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services