Citadel Alumni Obituaries

William McMorris Lester, Jr., of Valdosta died Tuesday, February 21, 2013 at
home. He was born in Augusta, GA, November 24, 1927 to the late William
McMorris Lester, Sr. and Elizabeth Miles Lester. Mr. Lester was a member of
Park Avenue Methodist Church. He attended public schools in Augusta and
completed high school in Washington, D.C. After graduating from The Citadel,
Charleston, SC, he was employed by Trust Company of Georgia, Atlanta. In
1957 Mr. Lester moved with his wife, Bobbie, and his family, to establish
the Valdosta Federal Savings and Loan Association. Through merges this
became the Valdosta office of Branch Bank & Trust (BB&T). He served as local
President of BB&T until retirement in 1993. Mr. Lester is survived by his
wife Bobbie Wells Lester of 59 years, four children, Catherine Lester Perry
and her husband Charles of Conyers, GA, Cheryl Lester Tunkle and her husband
Richard of Rabun Gap, GA, William Miles Lester and his wife Cindy of Auburn,
Alabama, William McMorris (Tripp) Lester, III, of Valdosta. Ten
grandchildren survive Mr. Lester: Lisa Perry Mosely and Joanna Perry Legg;
Sarah Catherine Tunkle and Caroline Rebecca Tunkle; Ashley Elizabeth Lester,
Elizabeth Connely Lester, Catherine Ansley Lester, and William Miles Lester,
Jr.; William McMorris Lester, IV, and John Wells Lester. Great-
grandchildren surviving are Kent and Kyle Mosely, and Grayson and Aiden
Legg. Other survivors include brother, James Luther Lester and wife Gwen, of
Augusta; two nephews, Jimmy and Frank Lester; a special cousin, Marcus
Lester and wife Rachel of Newberry, SC; and sister-in-law, Nancy Wells.
William M. Lester left behind an undeniable mark on the Valdosta community
through his over 50 years of service in various organizations and clubs. For
over 20 years, Mr. Lester served on the board of the Valdosta- Lowdes County
Hospital Authority; he was President of United Way and President of the
Valdosta Country Club. He served as a member of the Valdosta Rotary Club,
Chamber of Commerce, and was a member of the University of Georgia Gridiron
Society. An avid fisherman and hunter, Mr. Lester was a member of the Ocean
Pond Fishing Club and of the East Side Fishing Camp in Darien, GA which
included annual duck hunting trips to nearby Fort Barrington. He didn’t stop
there as he forged lifelong friendships as a member of the former Mafia
Supper Group, the Tuesday Morning Smith Hospital Breakfast, and the 12 Old
Men and their monthly Ocean Pond meetings. His love of golf stemmed from his
childhood spent in Augusta with Augusta National at his back door, and
evolved into his over forty years of bringing friends to his home for The
Masters. One friend in particular was his future wife, Bobbie, whom he flew
in for a tour of Augusta, a first meeting of his parents, and a final day at
the Masters. Bill never met a stranger. He was a loving husband, father,
grandfather, and friend, and he will be remembered by many and missed by
all. Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, February 22, 2013, in
the chapel of Carson McLane Funeral Home with burial to follow in the Sunset
Hill Cemetery. Rev. Hale Bishop and Rev. V. L. Daughtery will officiate. In
lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Dasher Heart Center at South
Georgia Medical Center, P.O. Box 1727, Valdosta, GA 31603. Condolences to
the family may be conveyed online at www.mclanecares.com. Carson McLane
Funeral Home.

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