Walterlee (Lee) Marie Afflerbach Yemma -- whose warmth, spirituality, and gentle humor touched the lives of family, friends, and neighbors during nine richly lived decades - died Monday Dec. 7, 2009, surrounded by loved ones. Born in 1919 and raised in the south Texas town of Yoakum, Lee was from a large family and brought one up herself. Always approachable, she was making new friends well into her 90th year. She maintained an active interest in their lives and in the world around her. Her Catholic faith was deep, her life secure in God's love, where she now abides. The oldest of seven children of Walter O. and Hildegarde Raymond Afflerbach, Lee graduated from St. Joseph's High School in Yoakum in 1935. She attended Our Lady of the Lake College in San Antonio and Baldwin's Business College in Yoakum, then worked five years with Tex-Tan leather company in Yoakum. Always curious about the world, a 20-year-old Lee set out on a 1939 vacation jaunt from Texas to California with three girlfriends in an age before Interstate highways. Her travels continued throughout her life. She lived in Japan, visited Europe when two of her children lived there, and journeyed to see some of the hundreds of people she knew in the months before her passing. In 1944, Lee earned a bachelor's degree in sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, and in 1946 a master's degree in social work at Fordham University in New York. Between and after her studies, she worked at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, where she met her future husband, Dominic Yemma, an Air Force officer stationed at Kelly Air Force Base. In 1948, they married at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., and lived in various parts of the United States and Japan over the next 12 years. In 1960, the family settled in Austin, Texas, where they lived for 33 years. While raising five boys and one girl in Austin, Lee volunteered at St. Ignatius School and St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. She also served as a Scout leader for her sons and daughter. In 1992, Lee and Dom relocated to Scenic Hills, a retirement community near San Antonio. From the mid 1970s through the mid 2000s, they traveled extensively from coast to coast to visit children, grandchildren, family, and friends. Some two decades after surviving breast cancer, Lee's resilience and lifelong admonishments to "roll with the punches" were further proved. At age 85, she started a new chapter of her life, leaving the warm climate of Texas after the death of her beloved husband, Dom. She relocated to Champaign, Ill., to live out her final years with Mary and Jim Long, her daughter and son-in-law. In the new millennium, Lee continued to travel, making journeys from the Midwest to New England, Colorado, California, Arkansas, and Texas, all the while establishing a network of church and neighborhood friends in Champaign- Urbana. She enjoyed church life at St. Patrick's Parish, participating in Bible study groups and community activities. On May 9, Lee celebrated her 90th birthday with family and friends. The matriarch of an extended family of almost 200, Lee recounted family stories spanning three centuries. Lee was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers (Raymond, Charles and Robert) and sister (Helen), and her husband of 56 years, Dominic. She is survived by sisters Mary McQuillen of Yoakum, and Sheila Dennis of Seattle, and her six children and their families: They are Andy Yemma and Eileen Ogintz of Westport, Conn., with grandchildren Matt, Reggie and Melanie; John Yemma and Robin Jareaux of Plymouth, Mass.; Mark and Anne Yemma of Trabuco Canyon, Calif., with grandson Chris; Mary and Jim Long of Champaign, Ill., with grandsons Zachary, Adam and Alex Long; Bill and Tracy Yemma of Littleton, Colo., with granddaughters Angela, Allison and Audrey; Paul and Christie Yemma of Pocahontas, Ark., with granddaughters Katie and Laurel Dhority. Lee requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 708 W. Main St., Urbana, IL 61801, or the charity of the donors choice. Visitation will be Wednesday, Dec. 9, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Renner-Wikoff. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 708 W. Main St., Urbana, IL. On Sunday afternoon, Dec. 20, the family will have a Memorial and Reception at St. Joseph Catholic Parish, Yoakum, Texas, followed by burial Monday, Dec. 21, at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio. Condolences may be offered at www.renner-wikoffchapel.com.