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Patriots defensive end Bob Dee watches a tackle in 1966. Dee, who died in 1979, often wore a chain that his family discovered for sale recently on eBay. (File photo)

By RICK COLLINS
The Patriot Ledger
Jim Dee was just 13 in 1979 when his father, Patriots Hall-of-Famer Bob Dee, died of a heart attack while on a business trip in New Hampshire.

One of the things he remembered about his father was the gold chain with a rare 1928 gold coin he wore around his neck.

So imagine Dee’s surprise when his wife discovered his father’s favorite chain for sale on eBay. It was being sold for $1,499 along with other sports collectibles.

‘‘I almost dropped to the ground when I saw it,’’ he said. ‘‘He used to wear it all the time. And when he passed away, it went missing, and that was 1979.’’

Bob Dee was a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end for the Boston Patriots of the American Football League from 1960 to 1967. He never missed a game in his AFL career, playing in 112 consecutive games for the Patriots. He previously had played for two seasons with the Washington Redskins in the National Football League.

Jim Dee, 41, said he frequently scans eBay looking for football cards of his father, a four-time AFL All-Star.

He said he’s furious that a personal item such as the chain would make its way to a Maine pawn shop and then be put up for sale on eBay, the popular Internet auction and sales site.

Dee, along with his two older brothers and younger sister, feel the chain should have been returned to them after his father’s death, but it instead was in the possession of a woman their father was dating at the time.

‘‘I think it’s in very poor taste,’’ said Dee, who grew up in Braintree and recently moved to Mattapan. ‘‘She took this thing as a memory to my father and has the gall to pawn it off. ... It’s very disgusting to me.’’

The Maine store, Twin City Gold in Biddeford, says on eBay that the chain comes with a notarized letter of authenticity by Nancy Bechard, Dee’s girlfriend at the time of his death, as well as a photograph of him wearing the chain.

Jim Dee said he called the store and asked them to halt the sale, which they did. The store, however, still wants $1,500 for the chain - a price that Dee, who is currently on workers’ compensation after tearing his rotator cuff, says he can’t afford.

‘‘I legitimately feel it was stolen, and I want it returned,’’ said Dee, who for several years owned a North Weymouth bar dedicated to his father. ‘‘Hopefully they’re going to do something for me.’’
Neither Bechard nor the store could be reached for comment.

Bob Dee, who grew up in Braintree, was one of the first players signed by original Patriots owner William Sullivan in 1960. He was a defensive team captain during that inaugural AFL season and scored the league’s first touchdown when he fell on a fumble in the end zone during a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.

Dee retired in 1967.

His helmet, which he wore in 105 of his 112 AFL games, is in the football Hall of Fame, and his number, 89, has been retired by the Patriots.

Dee later started Jet Line Services Inc., one of the region’s first hazardous waste cleanup firms. One of his employees was Alan McKim, who later started Clean Harbors, which is now the largest waste remediation firm in North America.

Jim Dee said his father was beloved in his hometown of Braintree.

‘‘Everybody knew him, and everybody loved him,’’ said Dee. ‘‘Nobody has ever said anything bad about him.’’


http://ledger.southofboston.com/arti...ews/news02.txt

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