Whitlock Lees, III

Whitlock Lees, III, 72 years old, passed away on April 8, 2025. He was the son of the late Whitlock Lees, Jr. and Nancy Merki Lees Cory Boland.

Whitlock was born in Asheville, NC. He graduated from high school at Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN. He attended and received his Bachelor’s degree in 1975 in psychology from Duke University in Durham, NC. While at both Baylor and at Duke, Whit excelled in competitive swimming.

After college, Whit pursued a number of different occupations before he settled in Lynchburg, Va and worked for many years at Perry Pools before retiring in 2018. He was well liked by all his co workers, and was an excellent employee.

Whit is survived by two sisters, Patricia Lees, of Knoxville,TN and Caroline Yarnall, of St. Simon’s Island in Georgia. He was well loved by his nieces, Clare Fields, Katelyn, and Maggie McConnell, and nephew, Robert Grizzard.

Whit is also survived by his significant other, Julia Collins, who has been his loving partner for more than 19 years.

A Celebration of Life be held at Mosaic Church in Lynchburg at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, 2025. In Lieu of flowers, please send any contributions to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, United Negro College Fund, 1804 7th St, NW, Washington, DC 20001, and Hillsdale College, 33 E. College St, Hillsdale, MI 49242 Whit was loved by many. He was known for being deeply kind and loving to all, no matter their life circumstance. He had a profound appreciation and love for all of God’s creation, all nature and animals. If he saw a bug or a spider, he would gently put it outside. His neighbors remarked on how tenderly he took care of everything he touched. But most striking to many about Whit was his keen intellect and his love of books. He bought his house based on the space of provided for a complete library downstairs.

Tharp Funeral Home, Lynchburg, VA is assisting the family.