Daphne Claudia Lee

Daphne Claudia Lee — known to everyone who loved her as Claudia — passed away after a short illness on April 9, 2026, at the age of 78. Born Daphne Claudia Sullivan on July 13, 1947, in Norwalk, Connecticut, she lived a life of remarkable warmth, creativity, and restless energy. Claudia had a gift for making things beautiful — homes, theatrical productions, friendships — and she poured that gift into everything she touched.

Claudia grew up in Westport, Connecticut, the daughter of David Gelien Sullivan and Daphne Mary (Hill) Sullivan, and graduated from Staples High School in 1965. From her earliest years she was spirited and full of life. Her brother, Dwight, remembers: “When we were young, Claudia was my babysitter. When we were teenagers, we were often co-conspirators.” It was a characterization that would have made Claudia smile — she was always the one with a plan, a vision, and the determination to see it through.

On March 23, 1973, Claudia married J. Russell Lee, and the two built a life together in New Hampshire and Florida that would span more than five decades. Russ was her partner in every adventure — from the skies to the stage to the open water. He preceded her in death on August 8, 2025 after 52 years of marriage, and Claudia carried the weight of that loss with characteristic grace in the months that followed. Together they raised three children: Carol, Patricia, and Christopher, who passed away in 2016. The loss of a child is one no parent recovers from entirely, and Christopher remained in her heart always. Claudia was a fiercely proud mother and grandmother — a tireless cheerleader for everyone she loved. She had a gift for seeing the best in people and a genuine desire to inspire those around her to be their happiest, most fulfilled selves.

While raising her family in New Hampshire, Claudia discovered her true professional calling: the theater. What began as volunteer work alongside her mother at the Palace Theatre in Manchester blossomed into a career that would leave a lasting mark on the performing arts in the region. She served as a board member for both the New Hampshire Performing Arts Center and Stage One Productions and later took on the role of Marketing Manager at Stage One — a Manchester-based professional theater company that ran from 1981 to 2017. She also served as General Manager of First Night Concord for two years in the early 1990s.

The impact she had on Manchester’s cultural life is difficult to overstate. Bob Shea, who managed the Palace Theatre during those years, put it plainly: “She was the glue; she was the energy source that kept things moving forward when times were tough. Claudia always gave 200% personally and professionally. She was passionate about the magic of professional theater.” Shea credited Claudia — alongside colleague John McLane — with ensuring the survival of both the NHPAC and Stage One during their most precarious years and described her as central to what he called Manchester’s “Golden Age” of downtown revitalization. He remembered most fondly her hand-crafted promotional collages in the Palace lobby, which she created with the same love and artistry she brought to everything.

George Piehl, the Producing Director of Stage One Productions and a close friend to both Claudia and Russ, echoed that sentiment. “The incredible longevity of the company was, in no small part, due to the strong foundation that Claudia put in place in the first eight years,” he said. “For everyone from Stage One, they will both be forever in our hearts.” Russ, for his part, even taught George to fly — a detail that speaks to how fully the Lees wove themselves into the lives around them.

In September 1998, Claudia and Russ left New Hampshire for a new chapter, settling in Englewood Isles on Florida’s Gulf Coast. They bought a waterfront villa, docked a boat out back, and took to the Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal Waterway with characteristic enthusiasm. They found community in the Sarasota Power Squadron and made friends who would remain close for years. Russ’s love of flying had long taken them to destinations near and far — and in Florida, that sense of adventure only deepened. They later spent several years traveling to and from California in a motor home to visit their son Christopher, with Claudia’s faithful dog Micky along for every mile.

Claudia had always loved fashion as she loved theater: with passion and a keen eye. She delighted in sharing that love with the people closest to her — none more so than her daughter Patty, with whom she went on countless shopping trips over the years, savoring both the finds and the time together. In later years, Russ joined them on those outings, turning a mother–daughter tradition into a family affair. In Florida, she channeled that love into a boutique she opened on St. Armand’s Circle on Lido Key in Sarasota. The store became a gathering place, and many customers became longtime friends. When she eventually transitioned the business to an eBay store, those friendships followed her there, too. It was quintessentially Claudia: wherever she went, connections followed.

Over the years, she and Russ made their home in several beautiful houses in the Sarasota area, and Claudia approached each one as a new canvas. She had a genuine talent for interior design and a flair for the unexpected — a room re-imagined, a corner transformed. True to form, she was in the midst of decorating her most recent home at the time of her death. She was always, always working on the next beautiful thing.

One of the quiet joys of her later years was the proximity to her brother Dwight. After most of their adult lives spent in different corners of the country, both had found their way to the Sarasota area, and they made the most of it. “In the last 15 years,” Dwight said, “We have been actively involved in each other’s lives.” Those years together were a gift. Claudia was known throughout her life for her thoughtfulness and her deep appreciation of the people around her. She was, by all accounts, a remarkable gift giver — always searching for the thing a person would love but would never quite buy for themselves. It was her way of saying, in the most tangible terms possible, that she saw you, and that she cared.

Claudia’s love of theater never dimmed. She and Russ made many trips to New York City over the years to see Broadway shows, and the magic of live performance — which she had worked so hard to bring to others — remained one of the great pleasures of her life to the end. In her final weeks, she was very much looking forward to what lay ahead: a cruise she had planned with her sister-in-law Kit Lee, and a Florida “staycation” with her girls. She was, as ever, making plans — anticipating the next good thing, the next gathering, the next reason to be together.

Claudia is survived by her daughters, Carol Smith and her children, Josh and Madison, all of Plainfield, Vermont, and Patricia Schwager (Chris) and their son, Caleb, of Bella Vista, Arkansas; her brother, Dwight Sullivan (Deborah) of

Venice, Florida, and their daughter, Sophia Edwards (Jason) of Denver, Colorado; her sister, Christine Hovland and her daughters, Leslie and Kim, all of Texas;  nine great grandchildren and her life-long friend and sister-in-law Kit Lee. She was preceded in death by her husband, J. Russell Lee; her son, Christopher David Lee; and her parents, David Gelien Sullivan and Daphne Mary (Hill) Sullivan.

Claudia Lee lived as if beauty were a responsibility — to be created, shared, and celebrated wherever possible. She gave her energy to the arts, to her family, to her friends, and to every home she ever made. Those who knew her were lucky, and they knew it. She will be deeply missed and long remembered.