Lester Meske

Lester Albert Meske, 89, of Clear Lake, died Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018, at Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, in Mason City.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, at Zion Lutheran Church, 112 N. 4th St., Clear Lake, with the Rev. Dr. Pat Hall officiating.  Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery, in Mason City.  Military honors will be provided by the Clear Lake VFW Post 4868 Honor Guard.

Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. 4th St., Clear Lake.

Family suggests memorial contributions to the Clear Lake Senior Citizens Center.

Lester was born May 21, 1929, in Akron, Iowa, the son of Paul and Grace (Kleihauer) Meske.  He attended country schools near Akron, before enlisting in the United States Army in September of 1951 and serving during the Korean War in Germany.  He was honorably discharged in August of 1953.

Lester married Helen Hitzemann on Jan. 29, 1952, at Trinity Lutheran Church, in Akron. He farmed with his family near Akron before moving to Clear Lake in 1962, when he began working for Reinhardt Anderson Construction building homes.  He later worked for Zeidler’s Concrete as a precast foreman and worked there 27 years; retiring in 1994.

Lester was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, in Clear Lake.  He enjoyed woodworking, gardening, playing cards, completing puzzles and plastic canvas crafts.

Lester is survived by his three children, Pamela (Rodney) Rasmussen, Vancouver, Wash.; Patricia (Steve) Caron, Clear Lake, and Mary Meske, Clear Lake; grandchildren, Michelle (Justin) Allen, Mesa, Az. and Christine Frese, Vancouver; two great-grandchildren, Elise and Emmitt Allen; a sister, Marilyn Hitzemann, Akron; a sister-in-law, Helen Hitzemann, of Akron; a brother-in-law, Arden (Katie) Hitzemann, of Canton, S.D.; and many nieces and nephews.

Lester was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Helen; and brothers-in-law, Arnold Hitzemann, Robert Hitzemann, George Hitzemann, Marvin Hitzemann, and Donald Neunaber; and two sisters-in-law, Dorothy Hitzemann and Esther Neunaber.

Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of arrangements.