Obit: Dake, Lester (1919 - 2012)

Contact: Linda Mertens
Email: mertens@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Dake, Daeke, Jeppesen, Brosious, Thompson, Lairson, Habeck, Thompson, Hodge, Brosious, Geary

----Source - Private Collection

Lester Dake (19 Feb 1919 - 18 Apr 2012)

Lester "Les" E. Dake, 93, Medford, died on Wednesday, April 18 at Memorial Health Center emergency room where he was taken earlier by ambulance. Funeral services were held on Saturday, April 21 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Whittlesey, with Rev. Randal Jeppesen officiating, and full military honors performed by the Medford Area Military Honors Team. Burial was at Trinity Lutheran Church Cemetery in Whittlesey. Pallbearers were Lester Dake, Randy Brosious, Susan and Lori Thompson, and Francis and Tharold "Tig" Lairson. Hemer Funeral Home of Medford assisted the family with arrangements.

Lester Dake was born on February 19, 1919 in the Town of Mayville, Clark County, to the late Ray and Mollie (Habeck) Dake. He attended Dorchester area schools and was a 1937 graduate of Dorchester High School. He worked at various jobs until October 1940 when he was inducted into federal service with the Army National Guard 32nd Division. He trained at Camp Livingston, La., attended military school in Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland and Fort Sill, Okla. In 1944 he went overseas to the European Theater and served under General G. Patton's third army. He was awarded three battle stars, Battle of the Bulge, Rhineland and Central Europe. He returned to the states in 1945 and was honorably discharged on October 26, 1945. On November 6, 1948 in Dubuque, Iowa, he married Merle E. Thompson, who survives. He worked at the Harvey Company until 1966, then moved to Belvidere, Ill., where he worked at Chrysler Corporation until his retirement in 1984.

He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Klossner-Dietzler VFW Post No. 5729 and the United Auto Workers. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping. In addition to his wife, survivors include three children, Michael (Judy) Thompson of Medford, Gale (Mary) of McCloud, Okla., and Sharon (Joe) Hodge of Rockford, Ill.; a brother, Delbert (Gloria) of Lakewood, Calif.; five grandchildren, Randal Brosious, Frances Lairson, Lester Dake, and Susan and Lori Thompson; and several great-grandchildren. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by three brothers, Rev. Melvin, Wayne and Ray, and a sister, Cynthia (Dake) Geary.