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Fri, Jun 26
Our beloved Doctor Lester, husband of Julie Lester (the Director of our New Dimensions Youth Chorale), has passed. 😢
Services for Dr. Charley M. Lester, Jr.:
- Friday, June 26: Open Visitation 11ᴀᴍ – 4ᴘᴍ at: St. Paul United Methodist Church, 1001 Pierre Ave, Shreveport, LA 71103
(Earlier information that this visitation was to be held at Heavenly Gates funeral home is incorrect! It’s at St. Paul UMC!) - Saturday, June 27: Funeral 11ᴀᴍ at St. Paul United Methodist Church
- Graveside service and interment to follow at: Long Ridge Cemetery, Ireland Williams Rd, Waskom, TX 75692
Obituary:
Dr. Charley Marion Lester, Jr., a long time resident of Shreveport, LA passed from this life to his heavenly home on June 20, 2020. He was born on February 28, 1934 in Scottsville, TX to Charley and Edna Lester. He was the only child born out of this union. After graduating from Pemberton High School, he attended Wiley College in Marshall, TX. Upon graduation from Wiley College, he attended Howard University for graduate school from 1952–1956. After leaving Howard University, he enrolled in Meharry Medical College where he obtained his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1960. From there, he joined the United States Air Force and was stationed at Croughton Air Force Base in Bedfordshire England, where he operated his own dental clinic from 1962–1965.
In 1965, he returned home and opened his own private practice, Lester Dental Corporation where he worked for fifty years. He also married Julie Boston Lester in 1965 and they were married for 54 years until his untimely passing. Out of this union came 2 girls, Kai and Charmel. Charley enjoyed fishing, socializing and working in the community with his Omega Psi Phi brothers, hunting, working in his garden and worshiping with his church family. Charley practiced dentistry in Shreveport for fifty years and was very active in the community. He was one of the first African American men to serve on the Police Jury, which is now known as the Caddo Parish Commission. He was also a very active member of St. Paul United Methodist Church, New Dimensions Choral Society, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the National Dental Association, and the Pelican State Dental Society.
Charley was preceded in death by his parents, Charley and Edna Lester. Left to cherish his memory are his wife Julie; daughters, Kai and Charmel; grand fur-baby, Teela; and a host of beloved relatives and friends.