Dr. Lee Spears, 78, of Franklin, KY, passed away on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at Hospice House. The Louisville, KY native was the daughter of the late Frank Lester Atkinson and Eleanora West Atkinson.

Dr. Spears was a professor in the English department at Western Kentucky University. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Kentucky University and her doctorate from the University of Kentucky.

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 pm on Friday, September 25 at Johnson Vaughn Phelps Funeral Home with burial to follow at Fairview Cemetery.

Dr. Spears is survived by her husband, Ronald Terry Spears; and two cousins, Robin Edwards and Jamie Sanders

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to Friends of the Simpson County Animal Shelter.