Lester Thomas St. John
Lester Thomas St. John was welcomed into the arms of his heavenly father on Thursday, January 7, 2016. Les was born on March 31, 1938 to Luella (Cover) and Roma St. John in Jerusalem Township. When he was younger, he was known as “Tommy” to the local community. He married the love of his life, Nancy Donley, on May 31, 1958. They were blessed with six children, two girls and four boys who in turn have each added many grandchildren to the family that Les dearly loved.
Les followed in his father’s footsteps and worked for many years as a mason after graduating from Toledo Board of Education School for Apprentices on June 1, 1960. He worked for Comte Construction in the early years and then opened his own business along with his brothers, Romee and Chester. At one point, Les and Nancy moved their family to Dunedin, Florida for six months where Les and his crew did the masonry at the Innisbrook Golf Resort. The brothers eventually decided to close their business and went to work for Rudolph/Libbe Construction. It is comforting to the family to know that they can drive around Northwest Ohio and see many of the projects that their dad worked on and that his masonry work will be here for generations to come. As a construction supervisor, he oversaw many projects around Northwest Ohio such as the renovation of the Macy’s building downtown into apartments. The projects at the Toledo Zoo including the panda and hippo exhibits and the African Savannah brought him a sense of joy and his love of natural exhibits. His final project was the Wood County Courthouse.
Nancy and Les built their own home with Les and his brothers doing all of the masonry work. Their home’s centerpiece is a marble fireplace that takes up one entire wall in their living room. Many of our family pictures were taken in front of this masterpiece.
Les had a love for boating. He enjoyed fishing as well as just being on the open waters. After he retired, he enjoyed working with Nancy in the flower beds around their home. He and Nancy also had a love for travel. They took many vacations after Les retired and enjoyed making trips to see their son and grandson in Texas.
Les was a strong man and imparted that strength to all of his children. After his wife died, it was very important to him that he live as independently as possible. It is a testament to his strength and determination that he was able to do this as his health declined. He was a wonderful role model for his children and grandchildren. We thank him for helping us to be the people that we are today. We will miss him greatly.
Lester is survived by his six children, Vicky (Bob) Chambers, Tim (Beth), Keith (Lisa), Kevin (April), Tom, and Tammi; his 12 grandchildren, Rob and Jenny Chambers, Kyle, Gavin, Ben, Michael, Andrew, Lyndsey, Carly, Jared and Garrett St. John, and Amanda Hughes; his sisters, Carol, Charlotte, Sandra and brother, William. Lester was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy, his parents, sisters, Grace and Delores and his brothers, Romee and Chester.
The family would like to thank ICU nurses Nicole and Rachel at Bay Park Community Hospital for the loving care they provided to dad during his final days. Your care and compassion helped us immensely during this difficult time.
Family and friends may visit the Freck Funeral Chapel, 1155 S. Wynn Rd. in Oregon, on Monday, January 11, 2016 from 2-8 p.m. Funeral services will begin in the funeral home on Tuesday at 9:15 a.m. and continue on with the Funeral Mass which will be held at St. Ignatius Catholic Church at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at St. Ignatius Cemetery. The family suggests any memorials be given to St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Oregon, Ohio.