Lee Thompson Holle

Lee Thompson Holle, of Naples, Florida, died at the age of 83.

Lee would be the first to tell you he couldn’t have picked a better time or place to be born. Born in 1942, the youngest of 4 boys, Lee grew up on Upper Nemahbin Lake. Lee’s beloved grandparents, Edwin and Adeline Holle, played a pivotal role in helping raise him (and his brothers) after the death of their mother, Lucille, in 1944. Lee spent his childhood mostly on the water, where he raised ducks, swam, fished, ice-skated, and worked at the local custard stand.

In high school, Lee played trombone and joined the choir (“to meet girls”) and managed to hover just under the radar of being labeled a troublemaker. After graduating from Oconomowoc High School in 1960, Lee had some starts and stops with attending classes and experiencing all that college life had to offer, with stints first at the University of Madison and later the University of Milwaukee. In the winter of 1962, Lee convinced two buddies to trade Wisconsin winters for life in sunny southern California. After a 9-month stint of working and living in Hermosa Beach and later Hollywood, Lee returned and enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served from 1963 – 1965.

On September 11, 1965, Lee married fellow Oconomowoc-raised Christine Mueller Lange. Lee returned to school full-time while also driving delivery trucks for the Milwaukee Journal and pounding posts for Lange Enterprises. Lee and Chris made a life together for 50 years that included the birth of their son Jeffrey Lange in 1969 and their daughter Lynn Michelle in 1973. As part of Lee’s career with General Electric Lighting that spanned 1968 through 1996, the family lived in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, and Illinois.

After retiring from GE in 1996, Lee and Chris relocated back to Wisconsin, where they split their time between Lake Mills and Marco Island, Florida.

In 2009, Lee was confirmed and joined the Catholic church, and his Catholic faith would remain a paramount role for the rest of his life, including leading him to meet and marry his wife, Connie, on June 12, 2021.

Lee is preceded in death by his parents, Stafford O. Holle and Lucille A. Holle (nee Thompson), stepmother Jenny Holle (nee Bartol), brothers Stafford, Stuart, and Roy, parents-in-law Albert Charles “Chuck” Lange II and Nancy Lange (nee Mueller), brothers-in-law Albert Charles “Kip” Lange III, Michael Lange, sister-in-law Mary Lange, and wife Christine M. Holle (nee Lange).

Lee leaves behind his wife Connie Holle, son Jeffrey L. Holle (Darlyne E. Holle), daughter Lynn M. (Jonathan L. Ankney), grandchildren Shannon R. Holle, Cameron J. Holle, Ethan P. Ankney, and Elise M. Ankney, sisters-in-law Barbara Jones, Sue Sciacca, Yossy Holle, Barbara Lange, Mary Ann Lange, brother-in-law John Lange, and many nieces and nephews.

A funeral service for Lee will be held on Monday, June 30, 2025, at St. Jerome's Catholic Church in Oconomowoc. Visitation for family and friends will start at 1:00 PM until the time of Mass of Christian burial at 3:00 PM. Lee will be laid to rest at Summit Cemetery following the Mass. 

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for memorial donations made in Lee’s name to Avow Hospice in Naples, Florida (https://avowcares.org/)