Lee Ousley

William Leroy "Lee" Ousley (born c. 1920 in Montgomery; died April 24, 2015 in Homewood) was a concert violinist, music instructor and piano technician.

Ousley was the son of William Richardson and Clyde McQueen Ousley of Montgomery. He graduated from Sidney Lanier High School and attended the U.S. Navy School of Music. He joined the Navy Band and was serving with Band 13 on the Admiral's Flagship, the U.S.S. Dobbin, at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack in December 1941. After the attack he was transferred to the U.S.S. Raleigh as an ammunition supplier for the deck guns. He continued to serve in the Pacific until being honorably discharged in 1946.

After World War II Ousley completed his bachelor's degree in music and another certificate in piano technology at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He married the former Eleanor "Nora" Orosan and moved to Birmingham. He performed as a member of the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Alabama Symphony Orchestra for 38 years. He also taught band and stringed instruments in the Jefferson County Schools system and worked as a contract musician and piano technician.

Ousley died in 2015. He was survived by his wife, three children, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

References

• "William Leroy (Lee) Ousley" obituary (April 25, 2015) The Birmingham News