We will deeply miss your wisdom and leadership, Lee.
This official obituary is published on the John C. Bryant Funeral Home website:
George Lee Humphrey, 93, of Boston and Wayland, passed away peacefully at home on February 8, 2025, with love and family around him.
Born on November 2, 1931, in Steubenville, Ohio, to George and Mildred Humphrey, Lee moved to Arlington, MA in 1933 and became a lifelong New Englander. His father played the viola in the Boston Symphony Orchestra for more than 40 years, sparking Lee’s love for classical and chamber music.
Lee graduated from Harvard University and from the Harvard Business School (with distinction, he would add) and rarely missed an opportunity to tailgate with treasured classmates and their extended families at the annual Harvard-Yale football game.
Between college and business school, Lee proudly served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, stationed in Newport, Rhode Island, the Mediterranean, and Kodiak, Alaska.
After returning from naval service, Lee married and started a family while building a successful career in financial management and systems consulting, heading his own firm in the 1980’s and later pivoting to residential real estate ownership in and around the Boston area. After his first marriage ended, he became a longtime resident of the Back Bay where he was an active volunteer and sponsor of myriad cultural organizations including the Harvard Musical Association, Lyric Stage of Boston and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
A proud Democrat, he remained a passionate advocate for equity, equality and justice throughout his life, supporting a wide range of deserving organizations and inspiring candidates. He eschewed arrogance and cared deeply about those most vulnerable and marginalized. In recent years, he focused his advocacy on environmental protection, investing countless hours to research deteriorating gas lines that underpin the Boston power grid and frequently petitioning authorities to repair or replace them.
Lee was deeply curious and a lover of literature and poetry, including the works of Robert Frost, William Shakespeare and William Butler Yeats, the latter inspiring several trips to Ireland to explore the distinct countryside and music. He had a beautiful singing voice reserved mainly for arias in the shower, ballads at his children’s weddings and many an impromptu birthday song visited upon unsuspecting restaurant patrons when the occasion called for it. He was an avid basketball fan who enjoyed following the Boston Celtics and railing loudly and often that the three-point shot had ruined the game.
Throughout his life, Lee remained optimistic and curious about technology, ideas, and what people can accomplish by working together toward a common good. And he always made sure to send birthday cards.
Lee is survived by his wife, Diana Young Humphrey, his children Claire (Vickie Henry) of Jamaica Plain, MA, Laura H. Fleming (Kurt) of Marblehead, MA, Scott (Mimi) of Pelham, NY, and John (Sarah) of Darien, CT, his brother Eric Humphrey (Janet) of Bedford, MA, and his first wife and lifelong friend, Susanne Egan Humphrey of Swampscott. He is also survived by Diana’s children, Peter V. Carls of Westborough, Elizabeth R. Carls (Louis Brueggeman) of Bethesda, MD and Susan M. Churchill (Tom) of Boulder, Colorado, as well as 18 grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, friends and colleagues. He is predeceased by his parents and brother, John.
A memorial service in Lee’s honor will be held on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 1:30 pm at the First Parish of Wayland, 225 Boston Post Rd, Wayland, MA.
Contributions in Lee’s name may be made to HEET, at 50 Milk Street, 16th Floor, Boston, MA 02109/heet.org or the Lyric Stage of Boston, at 140 Clarendon Street, Boston MA 02116/lyricstage.com.
