Victoria Hayes Lee

Victoria Priscilla Hayes Lee of Silver Spring, Maryland, passed away on Friday, July 11, 2025, at the age of eighty-eight. After declining health, Victoria died peacefully after spending time surrounded by her loving children and grandchildren.  Victoria was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on December 13, 1936, to parents Patti Hicks Hayes and Oscar Hayes. The youngest of four children, Victoria left Norfolk to attend St. Phillips School of Nursing/ the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA, now a part of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing, Victoria married Pernell Lee, Sr. of Chesapeake, VA, at the Howard University Chapel in 1959, and started a family.

As a young woman, Victoria saw many opportunities in Washington, DC for starting a career and quickly established herself in her chosen field as a Registered Nurse.  She practiced nursing at numerous hospitals in Maryland and Washington, D.C., including Sibley, George Washington University, and the National Institutes of Health, where she concentrated on the burgeoning field of hemodialysis, before retiring from the medical field in the mid-1980s.

In 1967, Victoria and Pernell moved to Montgomery County, Maryland, where Victoria became involved in a number of volunteer efforts, including the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Girl Scouts, and advocating for and ushering in the first all-day kindergarten in her community.

Victoria is survived by her four children, Lynda Carroll of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Victoria Piersol of Princeton, New Jersey, Pernell Lee Jr. of Silver Spring, Maryland, and Rita Lee of Silver Spring, Maryland.

She is also survived by her two devoted grandchildren, Carlisle Robinson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Bridget Piersol of Princeton, New Jersey.

Victoria is preceded in death by her beloved husband of sixty-one years, Pernell Lee Sr., her parents, Oscar and Patti Hicks Hayes, and her siblings, Bertha Hicks, Hilda Dent, and Thelma Brown.

Victoria was a strong believer in family, and throughout her life, her focus and passion remained on her family.

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