Lester Kahrig
Lester passed away this week. He was in his nineties. I got to know Lester as a fellow employee; I was coaching and Lester was our frequent bus driver for team trips. He took us all over the Midwest, staying with us on overnight trips. I think he enjoyed being in the hotel, amused as my coaches and I wrangled the kids into their rooms for the night.
When we stopped at my parents’ house in Cincinnati after a cross country meet, Lester managed to back the school bus down their long driveway, then manned the grill as we cooked for forty kids. He never raised his voice, he never complained, he was forever a kind, caring friend both to me, and to the kids on the team.
Lester’s passion was his kindergartners. His regular route was transporting those little ones to school and back, on what was often their first excursion away from parents. Lester was gentle; he was their protector. He loved those kids, and they knew it, and they loved him back in return.
The week after 911 was traumatic. I spent four days struggling to explain to my high school classes what happened, why it happened, and what might come next. On Friday night, I wrecked my car, totaling the Suburban. I was shaken but uninjured. Saturday morning I arrived early at the school; we were headed to Galion, Ohio for a cross country meet. Lester was our driver.
As I got on the bus, Lester and I talked about the week. We talked about what could happen to the kids we were driving, some of whom did end up serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. He told me his story: a seventeen year old boy from Eastern Ohio who went into the Army in World War II, invaded the Philippines, then caught malaria. He spent the rest of the war in Hawaii, stacking bombs in the caves above Pearl Harbor.
I don’t know a whole lot about Lester’s life in between. I did know his wife, she did beautiful paintings on saw blades. I have one, a scene from a cross country meet, hanging in my home. But what struck me most about Lester, was the contrast of the seventeen year old, wading ashore in invasion, who became so important a part of so many little lives.
Lester passed away this week. He was one of the “Greatest Generation,” and was one of the finest men I’ve known.
Thank you for this,, Marty….
Well said Duck. Lester was one of a kind!
Thank you, Marty. Lester was an incredible person and mentor. He will be greatly missed.
Thanks for sharing. I will always remember his ever-present smile and kind words.
This truly touched me Marty!!! As a young 22 year old mother starting out as a driver ( not much older then the kids I was transporting) I was scared to say the least but I always remember Lester looking at me and saying “ If I can do it at 75 you definitely can do it” His enthusiasm for the children and the pride he took in his job was truly an inspiration to me!!! He will be missed deeply by all who loved him !!!!