Lee M. Teare

Lee Michael Teare, 55, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, August 28, 2022 at his home in Grafton, Wisconsin.

Lee was a beloved husband, father, son, brother, uncle, nephew, and cousin. As his cousin Sarah so accurately and beautifully wrote, “Lee showed up with love, support, and compassion for the people he loved the most – his family.” This could not be truer.

Lee was born in Michigan City, Indiana on June 23, 1967 to William and Shirley (Algeo) Teare. He spent his early childhood in Trail Creek, Indiana, where he discovered a love for the outdoors, fishing, motorcycles, sports, and a curiosity about nearly everything. Lee was a lifelong learner and student and, as his mother recalled, this started at a very young age as Lee would often be found playing chess during his lunch break with his Joy School Elementary principal, Mr. Crabbs. Lee was a 1985 graduate of Rogers High School in Michigan City where he excelled academically and was a member of the swim and golf teams. After high school, he attended Purdue University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Supervision and later attended Indiana University South Bend (while working full-time) where he earned his MBA.

While at Purdue, Lee met Kedron Pliske – the woman of his dreams. Lee and Kedron were married on November 30, 1991 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Michigan City and together they raised three exceptional children: Travis (Chelsea) Teare, Cleveland, Ohio; Brett Teare, Irvine, California; and Sydney Teare, Grafton, Wisconsin.

Together, the Teare family shared a life full of love, baseball games, gymnastic meets, and more 5k runs than anyone could imagine. The family moved quite a bit for Lee’s career and spent years in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin – it was always an adventure and Lee was always thankful for Kedron holding down the fort while he traveled for work. The family also raised two Golden Retrievers who are now with Lee in heaven and raised a Goldendoodle who is still going strong (as well as a couple of Sydney’s rabbits that Lee was rather fond of).

Lee was an accomplished business executive who focused on supply-chain distribution. He was a Six Sigma Black Belt at GE before moving to Gexpro to serve in several roles including Marketing Manager, District Sales Manager and Vertical Segment Manager. From there, he joined Regal Beloit Corporation as the Director of Distribution and, finally, joined ABB as a Regional Channel Manager. However, without a doubt, Lee’s proudest accomplishment in business (and what he was happiest doing) was assisting Kedron (his wife) buy, manage, and operate their family business – the Cedarburg Popcorn Company. We are sure that Lee would ask you to visit and try some popcorn.

Lee is survived by his wife, Kedron; his children, Travis, Brett and Sydney; his sisters Paula (Max) Knowlton and Elizabeth Whelan; his brother-in-law, Todd (Kay) Pliske; his mother-in-law, Kathleen Pliske; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins, who loved him dearly. He is preceded in death by his father, William Teare, and father-in-law, Ronald Pliske.

In Lee’s memory, and because of his love for animals (and the time he spent with his daughter there), you may wish to donate to the Wisconsin Humane Society.