Lester Teker

Lester Teker, formerly of Leith, North Dakota, passed away in Montesano, Washington on January 22, 2012, one day before his 97th birthday and just four months before his and Alice’s 75th wedding anniversary,. He was preceded in death by his parents, Martin Teker, Sr. and Kristina Matejak Teker, his brother, Martin Teker, Jr., and his sisters Ruth Teker and Gertrude Weber. He is survived by his wife, Alice, also 97, at the family home, and by his twin sister Marian Schleve and brother Warren Teker, both of Rapid City, South Dakota, and by his sons, Ron Teker (Virginia) of Oak Harbor, Washington, and Larry Teker of Guam, and his daughter Carol Rieth (Robert) of Montesano, as well as numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. Lester was born on Jan 23, 1915, in a sod house on the family homestead, which was located 8 miles north of Heil, ND on the Heart River. In 1955, Lester and Alice acquired the homestead where he was born. It is still held by their family. The family eventually moved to Leith, ND, where Lester helped his father in the family blacksmith shop. Lester graduated from Leith High School in 1933 and married Alice Stephan Nixon in 1937. The young couple travelled to Seattle via Model “T” Ford, along with friends Orville Wahl and Cap Moen, to look for work during the Great Depression. Lacking money for motels, they slept underneath the car at night. Lester found work repairing machinery at the Sunny Jim Peanut Butter factory, and in 1938, their first child was born. In 1939, they relocated to Jacksonville, Florida, where Lester helped establish a new peanut butter factory. At the beginning of World War II, Lester attended a machine shop school in Chicago and then moved to Sedro Woolley, Washington, where he was employed with Skagit Steel & Iron Works for the duration of the war. After the war, the family purchased surplus metal-working machinery and hauled it back to Leith, where Lester, known for his hard work and ingenuity, opened Western Machine Works, specializing in welding and engine-rebuild. He also developed a plowshare-rebuild process. The family operated the business until 1963, when a shop accident forced Lester to give up the shop and move back to Seattle, where he returned to Sunny Jim to finish out his working years. Lester and Alice retired to Montesano in 1987 to be near their daughter Carol and her family. During Lester & Alice’s retirement, they spent many winters travelling to southern California and Arizona in their travel trailer, where they made many new friends among the snowbirds. Lester will be missed by all those who remember him and the things that he accomplished. A private inurnment service will take place at Leith Cemetery in North Dakota at a later date. Arrangements by Edwards Memorial Center, 253-566-1008.