Ida Gertrude (Kunkel) Lees was born on Wednesday, July 25, 1917 in Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Ethel May (Behm) and Rinaldo Kunkel.

In September,1917, they were living at 2156 Dreer Street in Philadelphia and they were still at that address in 1920. By 1930, 1083 Lois in Camden City, Camden County, NJ was their home.

She was described in the Merchantville High School Yearbook of 1935 as "...our 'Princess of Giggles.' There is not very much of her, but she has done an amazing amount of work in the production of the 'Aerial.' Ida's personality is a combination of cleverness, ambition, and mirth. Perhaps we should place mirth first, because it takes only a word or two to start her giggling."

In 1937, she married Curtis Lawrence Lees in Philadelphia.

Ida died on September 27, 1967 at the age of 50 and is buried in the Downer United Methodist Church Cemetery in Williamstown, Monroe Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.

Curtis, who was born in 1911, died at the age of 85 in 1996. He is also buried in the Downer United Methodist Church Cemetery.