Mark A. Lester, of Gays Mills, died Saturday, June 2, 2012 at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg, Idaho.
Mark was born June 11, 1933 to Avery and Florence Lester. He joined the United States Army and served 14 years in Germany where he met his first wife, Karola Haury. She died in 1975.
Mark was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He retired at the rank of CWO 3 after 20 years in the service, and moved back to Gays Mills.
While attending Southwest Tech in Fennimore, he met and married Sandra Derrickson Martin in July of 1981.
Mark was Chief of Police in Gays Mills for five years and was a rural letter carrier for eight years. He was a 34-year member of the Gays Mills Lions Club and served a term as their president. He was a member of the McCormick Rose Legion Post 308 and served as Commander for a number of years. He was a past Crawford County Commander and a past district officer. Mark was currently on the Board of Directors for Richland-Grant Telephone Cooperative in Blue River.
He and his wife Sandy hosted four exchange students over the years and he was active in the Cub Scout Pack 380 and Boy Scout Troop 380.
He is survived by his wife, Sandy of 30 years; three daughters, Rosie (Bill) Copus of Gold Beach, Oreg., Stephanie (Chris) Smith and Carol (Jerry) Pedersen of Gays Mills; three stepsons, Doug (Tina) Martin, Dan (Amy) Martin of Gays Mills and Darren (Michele Sandvick) Martin of Readstown; eleven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; two sisters-in-law, Winnifred Lester, Oklahoma and Ursula Haury, Kaiserlautern, Germany; special cousins, Rosemary and Jerry Raha, Gays Mills; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mother and father; brothers, Phillip and Richard; sister, Anita (Ann) Pinkham; sister-in-law, Virginia Lester and brother-in-law, Frank Pinkham.
Visitation will be held at the Old Main Street Community Building in Gays Mills from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, with a brief Military Service at the Gays Mills Cemetery immediately after. Burial will be at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Ocooch Mountain Rescue, Gays Mills Fire Department or the charity of your choice.
