Lester was born Aug. 27, 1921, in Loraine to the late Floyd L. and Ethel E. Guseman Smith. He married Imogene Aden Worman on Jan. 11, 1942, in Golden. Imogene died May 13, 2012.
Lester served in the U.S. Army from 1942 until 1945. Twenty months were spent stationed on the West Coast in the United States, and 18 months were spent stationed in the Philippines.
Lester started his career as a rural mail carrier in 1949 and delivered the mail for more than 38 years, retiring in 1987. In 1970 he was named Outstanding Carrier of Illinois, and in 1986 was awarded the Million Mile Safe Driving Award for driving 1 million miles without having an accident. He was a member of the Rural Letter Carrier Association, where he was the treasurer in 1978 and 1979.
He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Golden and was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church Brotherhood Club. He was also a member of the Golden American Legion, 40 ET 8 Club, Golden Lions Club, Golden Historical Society and the American Red Cross.
Surviving are two daughters, Jackie (Larry) Parn of Quincy and Ginger (Ed) Teefey of Mount Sterling; four grandchildren, Lori (Chris) Bildilli of Springfield, Michael (Ashley) Rittenhouse of Quincy, Daniel (Dana) of West Lafayette, Ind., and John (Lindsey) Teefey of Springfield; 11 great-grandchildren; a son-in-law, Larry Rittenhouse; and two brothers, Dean (Rae) Smith of East Peoria and Gerald Smith of Ankeny, Iowa.
He was preceded in death by one daughter, Connie Rittenhouse; and one sister, Wanda Lee Dobbs.
SERVICES: 11 a.m. Monday in Trinity Lutheran Church in Golden with the Rev. David Armstrong-Reiner conducting. Interment will be in the Golden Memorial Gardens in Golden with military honors by the Golden American Legion Post 801.
VISITATION: 10 to 11 a.m. Monday in the church.
MEMORIALS: Golden Good Shepherd Home or Trinity Lutheran Church.
ARRANGEMENTS: Hunter Funeral Home, Golden.
WEBSITE: www.hunterfh.com.
Visits: 5
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