Dee died May 11, 2002, in Gresham, Oregon at the age of 75. A career smokejumper, he was based at Missoula through 1965 and from Cave Junction 1966-72 and 1974-75.

During that period, he served a two-year active duty tour in the Air Force. He transferred to the Air Force Reserve from which he retired as a major after 30 years.

He graduated from the University of Montana with an accounting degree and a ROTC commission. His smokejumping career included working his way up to foreman in charge of jump training and the parachute loft in Missoula, Project Air Officer for Cave Junction, and founding the Forest Service Southern Region smokejumper base in 1971.

In 1965, he appeared as a jumper on the television program "To Tell the Truth."

Following his jumper years, he was the equipment specialist in the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region where he was in charge of standardizing firefighting equipment, a job he later undertook on a national basis as part of a national task force.