Leland E. Sember

SPARTA — Leland E. “Lee” Sember, 50, of Sparta, NJ passed away on October 12, 2017 surrounded by his loving family.
The greatest guy we know was born on May 18, 1967 at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, NJ. His loving parents Janet and Steve Johnson, as well as his grandparents Mario and Marcie Canale raised him in Flemington. Lee developed lifelong friendships in Flemington. He attended high school at Hunterdon Central, where he was a star baseball and football player, and graduated in the class of 1985.
Upon graduation from high school, Lee departed for North Carolina, where he attended Wake Forest University. While at Wake, he fell in love with barbeque, the Blues Brothers, and became a member of the fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi, where he gained a lifelong band of brothers. Lee continued to stay involved with Wake Forest, Lee spearheaded the establishment of the Ken Gordy Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor a friend’s memory and provide financial assistance to deserving students.
After graduating from Wake Forest, Lee joined the Lipton Tea Company, a division of Unilever, following in his grandfather’s footsteps as a member of this organization. He started out as a sales representative and moved through positions of increasing responsibility to become a Vice President of Sales. Lee had a 20+year career at Unilever, where he was a respected and loved leader. While at Unilever, Lee and his family moved around the country, developing teams, and more importantly, friendships along the way. Lee left Unilever and went on to continue his career in sales and organizational leadership, his most recent position as Vice President of sales at B&G, his spark, enthusiasm, and leadership inspired his organization, and the people around him. He was well respected as a leader, a role model and a man that people genuinely admired, trusted and loved.
The constant joys of Lee’s life were his children- Jack, Maggie, and Timmy Sember who all live in Sparta, New Jersey. Lee loved his children more than anything in the world, and they adore their dad. He was very involved in their interests and lives. Lee took great joy in coaching various sports teams they played on, watching their games, hosting Football Sunday, taking them to LBI and just hanging out and being their dad. Lee delighted in his kids, and anyone who knew him also knows the light in his bright blue eyes when he spoke about them, which he did all the time. He was a role model and mentor to their friends and the kids on the teams he coached. His happiest times were with his kids.
Lee was very committed to his church and his faith. He was a Eucharistic Minister at Saint Kateri Catholic Church. He was a very devout Catholic and engaged with his church and its outreach program. Lee also was involved with various charities: Wounded Warrior, St. Jude Hospital and Boys and Girls Club.
Lee loved life and lived a big life. He loved vacations in LBI, golf, the Giants (not a good year) and the Yankee’s (GO!). He could dance for hours, enjoyed a great steak, a good scotch and Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey, Lake Mohawk, boat rides, barbeques and Bruce! He loved to be with friends and family and was always
generous, thoughtful and kind. He made everyone fell most special and loved. His zest for life was contagious. Lee was an organ donor, his kidneys will give life to two people who otherwise wouldn’t have life- even in death, and he was generous, helping someone else. It was most fitting that when Lee passed; Springsteen’s “Born to Run” was playing.
Lee was predeceased by his grandparents, Mario and Marcie Canale, and his grandmother, Thillis Sember. He is survived by his children, Jack, Maggie, and Timmy Sember, and their mother Elizabeth Sember as well as by his fiancé Carol Carbin, and her two children Ted and Eileen Carbin. He is also survived by: his mother and father Janet and Steve Johnson, his two brothers: Steve Johnson and Jeff Sember and his sister Alexis Johnson. In addition, his cousins Brad Dzama and Jennifer Orr, along with their parents Butch and Dian Dzama. Lee will be missed by so many nieces and nephews who thought the world of him.
A memorial gathering was held on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at St. Kateri Church, 427 Stanhope Rd, Sparta, NJ 07871. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30am Wednesday at St. Kateri. In Lieu of flowers, the families request donations be made to the family for the children or Wounded Warriors. The Goble Funeral Home, Sparta, NJ is in charge of arrangements.