Lee Allen Wymore, 72, of Ames and formerly of Oskaloosa, passed away April 11, 2026, at his home in Ames, Iowa.
Lee was born on December 31, 1953, in Oskaloosa, to Leroy Eldon Wymore and Alvada Lucille (McCarty) Wymore, and was the elder brother to Mike. He met his high school sweetheart, Joyce, in band and graduated from Oskaloosa High School with the class of 1972, a year behind Joyce. Joyce attended the University of Northern Colorado, and Lee wrote Joyce a letter every single day until he joined her in Colorado the following year, while attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in plant pathology. Lee and Joyce were united in marriage on August 9, 1975, in Oskaloosa. After Colorado, they moved to Ithaca, New York, where he attended Cornell University for a PhD in plant pathology, studying lettuce pathogens, and then to Montreal, Quebec, for a postdoctoral fellowship studying tomato pathogens at McDonald College of McGill University. Joyce and Lee had two children, Meghan and Mathew. In 1990, the family moved back to Oskaloosa, and Lee, Leroy, and other family members rebuilt their family house on South First Street after years of emptiness following a fire that destroyed it. The family lived in that house until 2020. Lee initially worked at Oskaloosa Engineering and Manufacturing as the quality control manager and began teaching evening classes at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa. He was hired into a full-time position at Indian Hills, mostly teaching Biology, but also Field Botany, Environment, and Health, and was eventually department chair of the math and science department. He established and led the Science Club at Indian Hills.
Lee retired in 2020, and Lee and Joyce settled in Ames to be near Meghan and Mathew and their grandchildren. Lee was “Bapa” to Henry and Alex, Tillie and Casper, and enjoyed going to their activities as he had for Meghan and Mat.
In his youth, Lee played bassoon and bass drum in the band and was a Boy Scout, earning the rank of Eagle with Troop 77, which his father, Leroy, established. Later, Lee served as Cubmaster and Scoutmaster of Troop 77, as Mathew was a Cub and Boy Scout, and served on staff for many summers at Camp Wapello as archery instructor and the head of ecology and conservation. When his grandchildren were old enough to join Cub Scouts in Gilbert, Lee enjoyed attending their meetings and led several activities for their dens.
As a young adult, Lee enjoyed playing competitive volleyball. He was an amateur historian, especially of George Armstrong Custer and the Civil War. Lee was a founding member of the Ottumwa Civil War Roundtable and remained involved until his death. He served as newsletter editor, compiled the annual Civil War Jeopardy trivia contest, and frequently presented programs for the group about his Civil War-related travels and favorite topics. In his later years, he also attended the Des Moines Civil War Roundtable. Lee was a member of the Little Bighorn Associates and collected period weapons and relics, including his 1860 Spencer Carbine. He planned and organized the 2025 annual meeting of the Little Bighorn Associates in Kansas City, MO. Lee enjoyed camping trips, particularly to Poudre Canyon, CO, where he and Joyce began camping in college and returned many times, and later camping trips with his grandchildren in the Midwest and Colorado. He loved hiking, identifying plants and trees, and traveling with family and friends. Lee was a Darwin enthusiast and traveled to the Galapagos Islands in 2023, and was an amateur astronomer with his 8″ Dobsonian reflector telescope. Lee was a fan of the Montreal Expos and the Denver Broncos. He also enjoyed growing carnivorous plants, collecting fossils, and helping excavate the Mahaska County mammoth in 2012.
Lee is survived by his daughter Meghan (Jonathan Brand) Wymore Brand of Gilbert, IA; his son Mathew (Megan Henson) Wymore of Ames; three grandsons: Henry and Alexander Brand, and Casper Wymore Henson; one granddaughter, Tillie Wymore Henson; his brother, Mike (Erin Joy Swank) Wymore of Aurora CO; his brother, Jonathan (Tara) Wymore of Oskaloosa; stepmother, Terrie Wymore of Oskaloosa, and stepsisters: Brooke Ann Sells of Oskaloosa; Keely (Jeff) Choate of Marshalltown; and Bec Soll (Jerome Ellis) of Oskaloosa.
Lee was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved Joyce by 5 years and 76 days.
Memorials can be given to the Mary Greeley Foundation towards Radiology in Lee’s name. Over several years, as he received weekly paracentesis at Mary Greeley Radiology, he became good friends with the Radiology Ultrasound technicians and receptionists.
A private service will be held, and Langkamp Funeral Chapel & Crematory has been entrusted with Lee’s arrangements. A memorial open house/celebration of life for both Lee & Joyce will be held on Saturday, May 2, from 11:00 am-2:00 pm, in the Community Room at the Mahaska County Environmental Learning Center in Oskaloosa.
