We will celebrate the life and mourn the loss of Donald F. Lee. He was called to join his father, Floyd Willie Fruit; his mother, Mary Alice Fruit; and his brother, James Allen Fruit, on Saturday, October 7, 2006, at the age of 62. Don was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, July 6, 1944, and attended Oklahoma University in Norman and graduated from Central State University in Edmond, Oklahoma, in 1967. As a distinguished Airborne soldier, he served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. After his service, he moved to Houston, TX, to pursue a career with Bell Telephone. In 1971, he met Audrey Ney, and they married the next year in her hometown of D'Hanis, TX. Bell Telephone took them from Houston to Austin, where their first daughter, Andrea, was born, and then to St. Louis, MO. Don left the phone company so they could get back to Texas. Shortly after they moved to San Antonio, they welcomed the birth of their second daughter, Christine. Don and his brother-in-law and business partner, Patrick Ney, opened The Longhorn Café in 1984. The Ney-Lee partnership flourished over the next 20 years as they gradually turned their focus more towards real estate investments. After selling the restaurant in 1995, Don had much more time to spend out at the ranch where he'd always have many projects to keep him busy. Tanks needed to be built, roads improved and gardens tended to. He loved to clear brush with his Bobcat in search of the perfect picnic spot. Most of the time, Audie would join him on his ranch trips where they'd enjoy spinning around the mountain and stopping to take in the views. Recently, Don and Audie built their home on the range, not too far from the church where they were married and the ranches that Don loved to procure. There is no denying that Donald F. Lee left this world a more beautiful place. He is survived by his wife, Audrey J. (Ney) Lee of D'Hanis, and his two daughters, Andrea Marie Lee of Austin and Christine Caroline Lee of Dubai. The Funeral Service was Thursday, October 12, 2:00 p.m. at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in D'Hanis. The pallbearers were Ryan Hunt, J. C.Butler, Cody Ney, Richard Cole, Byron Stroman, Jeff Wilson. Burial followed at the Holy Cross Cemetery. He was admired by many and all three of his girls will miss him greatly.