Lee Volpe of Cherry Hill, NJ passed away October 21 at age 79. Survived by his wife Jolene Schwartz, daughters Diana Adamson (Ryan) and Tina Gates (Robert), and grandchildren Alexandra, Samuel, and Jackson Gates. Lee was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts and spent much of his youth on Plum Island. He loved the beach and being near water. Lee started his 40+ year industrial design career at Rhode Island School of Design and Philadelphia College of Art. Friends and co-workers describe Lee as a Renaissance man--he was a creative force wherever he went and a successful inventor, design developer, and consultant. Among hundreds of patents and countless products to his name, Lee worked with top licensors Jim Davis (Garfield), Charles Schultz (Snoopy), Jim Henson (The Muppets), Berke Breathed (Opus), Disney, Nickelodeon, Scholastic, and Harley Davidson. As a corporate VP of Product Development and Inventor Relations at Tyco Toys, he was the mind behind many well-loved toys such as The Sesame Street Talking Big Bird, Garfield Phone, and Dino-Riders action figure line. Lee was a lifelong motorhead with a passion for motorcycles and going FAST….. he loved life, music, good food, "dark & nuclear" beers, "chewy" red wines, and single-malt scotch. Funeral Services will be held Friday, November 20 at Christ Our Light Catholic Church, 402 Kings Highway N, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034. Visitation from 10 to 10:45 AM, Mass of Christian Burial 11AM. Celebration of Life story sharing in church immediately following the mass, that we might maintain social distance but leave remembering Lee the way he lived--with joy, smiles, and laughter. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Lee’s memory can be made to The Lee Volpe Memorial Fund at University of the Arts Office of Advancement 320 South Broad Street, Phila. PA 19102 (include Lee Volpe’s name in the memo line of the check) https://www.uarts.edu/about/donate-now (please choose "Other" in the designation field and then include Lee Volpe’s name there, so they know where to direct the gifts) Lee attended the University of the Arts (formerly Philadelphia College of Art) and taught Industrial Design in their evening program. A contribution to the University will perpetuate Lee’s passion for fostering creativity and supporting the next generation of design professionals.