A Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper
Lester John Ness, 73, passed away after a long struggle with declining health on October 30, 2026, at his residence in St. Anthony, Idaho.
He is survived by his sisters: Mary (Wade) Ward of Sugar City, Idaho; Rosie (Todd) Patterson of Tallahassee, Fla.; and Alice (Harold) Skelton of Webb. He is also survived by two step-brothers, Steve McMichael and Marty McMichael.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Margaret Ness; step-mother Betty Ness; sister Ramona Waldstein; brother Paul Ness; and niece Hillary Wittmaack.
He was a native of Rembrandt, where he was raised on a farm. He graduated high school in 1971 and joined the U.S. Navy. He served onboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Kitty Hawk and was sent to Vietnam.
From an early age, Lester had a love for learning and was always reading. He was known to have read a set of encyclopedias in second grade. One day he turned a tractor over in a ditch by the family farm because he was trying to drive and read a book at the same time. Miraculously, he came crawling out from underneath with no more injury than a scratch.
After the Navy, Lester attended Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge and Wheaton College in Illinois. He then attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in History. He also obtained a Masters in Library Science from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.
Lester spent 20 years teaching English at various schools and universities in China. If you spent any time with Lester, he would let you know just how fond he was of his students, the people and his time there.
In 2022, he returned to the United Stated and resided in St. Anthony, Idaho, until his passing.
Lester was a member of the local Catholic church, Mary Immaculate Parish. He will be interred in the Teton-Newdale Cemetery, with a graveside service under the direction of Baxter Funeral Home, on Friday, Nov. 6, at 1 p.m., officiated by Father Boniface Osuafor.
