Hundreds of thousands of Alabama kids skated at her skating rinks.
Thousands of parents and grandparents dropped their kids off there.
Hundreds of school and church functions and birthday parties were held at her facilities.
Summer camps. After school care.
Lisa Kay Lee, Alabama’s skate lady, has died in Decatur at age 64.
Can you make a difference in the lives of thousands of families through skating rinks? Read the life of Lisa Kay Lee and then answer that question.
Lisa was born in Decatur. Her father was a dentist, and her mother was an entrepreneur, from whom Lisa got her zest for business startups.
She and her husband started her first skating rink when she was in her twenties. From there, she expanded over Alabama:
Lambert/Battles Skate Center and daycare in Auburn/Opelika; Lambert Skate Center in Columbus, GA; Fun Zone Skate Center and daycare in Montgomery; and Fun Zone Skate Center and daycare in Dothan.
In 2017, Lisa purchased Funland Park and Skate Castle in Decatur with a vision to create another safe and fun place for the families of her hometown. This final project faced stressful obstacles from 2018 storm damage, the 2020 COVID shutdown, resulting in tax and financial problems.
After the financial struggles caused her home to be foreclosed, she moved into the skating rink. Talk about being close to your job.
Lisa employed thousands of Alabamans in her communities throughout the state and was quick to provide work for people in need. She believed in hard work, and no one could deny that she lived as an example of it until her final breath.
Her five children can recall the countless “Free Skate Passes” she kept in her purse and gave out with a cheerful smile to strangers she would meet. She genuinely loved feeling that she could help someone through her skate centers and daycares. There was purpose in everything she did.
Her goal was always simple: to provide safe, fun, and affordable family entertainment to people and families from all walks of life.
Lisa did not take a salary from her job. She lived and breathed her businesses. She greeted every challenge she had, and there were many, with a smile, a laugh, an optimistic attitude and a little bit of defiance.
Her businesses successfully provided summer camps and after school care to tens of thousands of children, providing families of all walks of life with relief.
For over a decade, Lisa offered discounted admissions at her skate centers if people brought two canned goods. For almost 10 years, she was the largest food donor to the Wiregrass Food Bank of Dothan, donating over 300,000 canned goods to those in need with the help of the families that came to her skate centers. This is one of countless examples of how Lisa didn’t just talk the talk but walked the walk.
Beyond her businesses, Lisa was a deeply proud mother of five children—four boys and one girl. From when Lisa’s children turned 13 years old and for years after, they worked at her skate centers—15-20 hours a week during the school year and 40 hours a week during the summers. She made her five children “example employees.” Lisa believed in hard work and made it her motherly duty to instill that work ethic in her five children.
Visitation will be held on Monday, July 8, from 10-11 a.m., with a celebration of Lisa's life to follow at 11 am at The Church at Stone River in Decatur. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in honor of Lisa's memory.
“You treat everyone like they are special. From the CEO to the janitor.” - Lisa Kay Lee
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler’s beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama. He writes about Alabama people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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