David D. Tee

David D. Tee, age 61, of Oquawka, Illinois passed away on Saturday February 19, 2022 at his Oquawka residence. David was born on February 7, 1961 in Burlington, Iowa and is the son of Allen L. and Lois M. Anderson Tee. He was raised in Oquawka and attended local schools, graduating from Union High School in 1979. David then attended the University of Illinois in Champaign, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He played tight end on the Fighting Illini football team all four years, attending the 1982 Liberty Bowl with the team. David moved to Houston, Texas in 1986 to begin a job he had dreamed of since he saw the moon landing live on his parent’s black and white TV: working in Mission Control at NASA. He served on space shuttle missions until the early 90s, receiving recognition for his outstanding service to the space program. David was a lifelong learner, alway keen to pick up a new skill or help someone else develop one. He coached local sports teams when his children were young, became an accomplished photographer, set up his telescope for neighbors to view the stars, and enjoyed woodworking on a CNC machine he built by hand. Most of all, David was a dedicated father and wanted nothing more than to help his children achieve all they could. He succeeded in this task– his son will graduate with a degree in Aerospace Engineering this spring from the University of Colorado, where he is the starting pitcher on the baseball team, and his daughter holds a Master’s degree from Harvard. He is survived by his daughter, Courtney Tee and son, Preston Tee, both of Boulder, Colorado. He is also survived by his mother, Lois Tee of Oquawka, Illinois, and his brother and sister-on-law, Darren Tee and Jennifer Tee and their children, Caroline, Andrew, and Gwen, all of Mahomet, Illinois. He is preceded in his death by his father, Allen Tee, in 2019.
A memorial service for David is planned on Monday, February 28th at 10: 30 AM at the Turnbull Funeral Home in Oquawka, Illinois. His family plans to receive their friends for the hour prior to the funeral service at the funeral home.