Lester C. Laedtke

God needed his "Handy Andy" son in heaven and so he called Les home to help him. Lester C. Laedtke, age 89, of Madison, formerly of Larsen, died Monday, January 16, 2012. He was born March 23, 1922, in Oshkosh, to the late William and Alma (Fahrbach) Laedtke. Les was a 1940 graduate of Oshkosh High School. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was recalled to serve his country during the Korean Conflict. On November 8, 1947, Lester married Sylvia Kraus at First English Lutheran Church in Oshkosh. Les worked as a foreman for the Leach Company in Oshkosh, he was a deputy sheriff for the Winnebago County Sherriff's Department, and for 32 years he was a rural letter carrier out of the Larsen Post Office. Lester was baptized, confirmed, and married at First English Lutheran Church, Oshkosh, and then for 45 years he was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Winchester, and since moving to Madison in 2007 he has been a member at Midvale Community Lutheran Church. While a member at Grace Lutheran Church, Les was a deacon, ushering coordinator and ushering captain, and a member of the cemetery board. Les was charter president of the Larsen-Winchester Lions Club, club secretary from 1979- 2001, member of District 27 B1 Lions Cabinet, and established and operated the Larsen-Winchester Lions Medical Equipment Loan Facility from 1987- 2005. Lester was the recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellow from the Lions Club International, and awarded the International President's Certificate of Achievement from the International Association of Lions Clubs. He was a past member and master of the Winneconne Masonic Lodge, member of the Giles-Luce American Legion Post 364-Winneconne, a member of the Clayton-Winchester Fire Department for several years, also serving as fire chief; and was the Constable for the Town of Clayton for numerous years. Lester was the 2003 recipient of the Health Care Volunteer Award. He was a "Mr. Fix-It" and repairer/repurposer extraordinaire. Lester was a professional volunteer, enjoyed gardening, golfing, and in his younger years he was a member of men's and couple's bowling leagues.
Lester is survived by his wife of 64 years, Sylvia M. Laedtke, of Madison; four children, Sandra Laedtke, of West Allis; Pat Schultz, of Naperville, Illinois; Greg (Jane) Laedtke, of Winneconne; Mary (Mike Brennecke) Laedtke, of Madison; his grandchildren, Jason (Meagan) Schultz, of Milwaukee; Meghan Schultz, Michael Schultz, both of Chicago; Amanda (Mike) Blank, of Neenah; Aaron Laedtke, of Larsen; Mikayla Brennecke, Matthew Brennecke, both of Madison; one great-grandchild, Braeden Blank, of Neenah; brothers and sisters, Ralph (Ferne) Laedtke, of Washougal, Washington; Arline Sitter, of Oshkosh; June (Dick) Schwartz, of Wauwatosa; Glenn (Claire) Laedtke, of Rochester, Minnesota; and other relatives and friends.
Along with his parents, Lester was also preceded in death by a sister-in-law, Ruth Laedtke.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 21, 2012, at 1:00 p.m. at Mueller Funeral Home, Winneconne, with Pastor Kevin Heffernan officiating. A Masonic Service will be held prior to the memorial service. Inurnment with military honors will be in Grace Lutheran Cemetery, Winchester. A Visitation for family and friends will be on Saturday at the funeral home from 11:00 a.m. until the time of the services.
In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established for the Larsen-Winchester Lions Club, the Alzheimer's and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin, Attic Angel Place, and Agrace HospiceCare.
Lester s family wishes to thank the entire staff of Attic Angel Place who provided loving care to Dad and the rest of the family these past four and a half years. They also wish to thank the staff of Agrace HospiceCare who provided extra support and care, and Dr. Watts and staff at the UW Geriatric Clinic.
Your life was an example to us all Dad. You taught us that life was "wunnerful, wunnerful"; that we should strive to "leave places better than we found them"; when life provides us opportunities to try something new, we should take on those opportunities because "you won't learn any younger", that in almost every situation "many hands make light work" and above all, we should "keep on, keeping on". Thank you, Dad. We love you and will miss you.

Mueller Funeral Home
904 E. Main St.
Winneconne, WI 54986
(920) 582-4242
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www.muellerfuneralhomeinc.com