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Millie Lorene, aka Shorn, Colclasure Lee was born on February 8, 1919, in Kenefic, Oklahoma.
When her family moved to Anadarko, she went to school half days in order to fix breakfast for her father and older brother before doing housework while her mother cared for new babies and younger children.
After graduating from Anadarko High School in 1938, she attended business school and worked as a secretary and bookkeeper.
She married R.F. Lee on February 6, 1941, in South Fulton, Tennessee. A baby girl, Doral June, aka "Skipper", was born in August 1942, two weeks before R.F. left to become part of the Fighting Seabees in World War II.
When R.F. returned from the war, they moved to Norman, Oklahoma, where he completed a pharmacy degree from O.U. in 1949. The family moved that year to Hooker, Oklahoma, where R.F. accepted a job and where a son, Ward, was born.
In 1952 the family moved to Sublette, Kansas, where Shorn and R.F. operated the Sublette Drug for more than 40 years.
Shorn's first years in Sublette were spent caring for her son who was diagnosed with a rare form of encephalitis. He died in 1955, and Shorn began a full-time and lasting job at the drugstore.
She was a leader in the community, an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, the American Legion Auxiliary, and a friend to all. A devastating freeze in 1991 demolished many of the old elm trees in the park, and Shorn began the task of replanting and replacing the trees, ultimately starting the Sublette Tree Fund which still exists today.
After R.F.'s death on November 7, 2000, Shorn lived alone in their home across from the park, helping with Chamber events, promoting mainstreet activities, and working in her garden.
She was a long-time supporter of High Plains Public Radio, the Satanta Arts Council, and the Garden City Recreation Arts Program. She supported the Finney County Humane Society and the Lee Richardson Zoo. She was always a part of the opening night crowd at the Garden City Community College Theatre Department events, supporting her daughter's theatrical productions with backstage labor, prop and costume loans, and student scholarships.
She moved to Garden Valley Retirement Village in 2005 and was a part of many activities and events there.
In October, 2009, she moved to Elkhart and became a resident of the Special Care Unit of the Morton County Health System. Her very full life ended at the age of 90 on December 21st.
She was preceded in death by her parents, 3 brothers, and one sister. She is survived by her daughter Skip and son-in-law Vincent Mancini, her brother Raymond Colclasure, and her sisters Kathryn Fischer and Mary Lou Thayer.
Shorn's generous heart was always opened to anyone...family, friend, or total stranger... who needed a helping hand.
Memorials in her name have been established for High Plains Public Radio and the Sublette Tree Fund.
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