Mr. Lelon Cecil Lester, age 84 of Cedartown, passed away on Tuesday, May 24, 2016. He was born on January 27, 1932 in Haralson County, Georgia. He was the son of the late Ebbie C. Lester and Viola Medlock Lester.

Cecil grew up in the Steadman and Crossroads communities in Haralson County, the youngest of Eb and Viola's eight children. When he was in high school, the family moved to Cedartown, where he graduated from Cedartown High School. He began working as a teenager for Duke Oil Company on Main Street, and after graduation he continued working there, loyally serving his customers from the service station's corner glass office until the station closed. When Duke purchased convenience stores, he became the manager of the Quick-n-Easy on East Avenue, again enlarging his network of customers and friends. After Duke sold the business, he went to work as a grocery salesman for the Clifford D. Fite Wholesale Company. He ran routes over northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama, and became "Papa Cecil" to his Fite work family. He enjoyed serving customers there until he was in his late 70s.

On January 27, 1952, his 20th birthday, he married the love of his life, Mollie Mae McKibben, and they celebrated more that 64 years of marriage. Cecil and Mollie's incredible love story has been an inspiration to their children, grandchildren and extended family and friends.

In the summer of 1952, Cecil was called into service by the U.S. Army. He served in the Supply Corps in Korea, where his unit was attached to the U.S. Air Force. Cecil was proud of his military service, and he was a proud American, patriotic to his core, a value that he has instilled in his family.

To his many nieces and nephews on both sides of the family, he was always "fun Uncle Cecil." He gave them rides on ponies, in jeeps, in boats, or played whatever game they had going on, and generally let them live way more dangerously than their moms and dads would have. As a young man, he loved to waterski, and, of course, liked to do trick maneuvers. To his children and grandchildren, he was the one that would figure out how to build anything they wanted for playing or that they needed for their school projects. He built sandboxes, tire swings, and the most awesome fort that Benedict fourth graders had ever seen. His family took pride in showing him off to their friends and, no matter what was being asked, always being able to say, "My daddy can make us one of those!" He gave countless tractor and ATV rides to any child who was at their house, and it was hard to know who enjoyed it more.

Cecil was a member and deacon of the Calvary Missionary Baptist Church of Rockmart. He was always the one with hard candy in his pocket for the kids. He loved to sing, and played old fashioned gospel hymns at full volume in whatever vehicle he was driving. If he was working around the farm or in the house, he could frequently be heard singing, or whistling, one of his favorite tunes.

Cecil loved the outdoors and country life. He liked to observe and occasionally hunt or trap wildlife. When the children were young, he and Mollie bought a small farm in the Blooming Grove community and built a cabin where they could enjoy that and more. In 1975, he and Mollie enlarged the cabin and moved to the side of the hill they call Rocky Acres. They enjoyed the country life, and Cecil had room to have pigs, calves, goats, chickens, ducks, guineas and an occasional horse. Cecil loved to observe the wildlife from their windows; when a stroke left him with double vision, he joked that there were twice as many turkeys and deer to watch! For many years, he seldom went to the woods to hunt, bagging whatever he wanted from the front porch or his bedroom window.

Cecil will be dearly missed by his family and friends. He is survived by his loving wife Mollie; his daughter Donya Lester and her husband Daniel Gwin of Indiana; his son Barry Lester and his wife Kim of Cedartown; his grandchildren Jade Lester of Young Harris, Caleb Lester of Cedartown, Hayden Hood and Heaven Hood, both of Rome; and his great granddaughter Lilah Hood. He is also survived by his brothers Howard Lester and his wife Bernice of Cedartown, and Edward Cleo Lester of Marietta.


He was preceded in death by his parents, E.C. and Viola Medlock Lester; his stepmother, Jewell Hamrick Lester; sisters Pauline Cauthen, Hedy Gable and Alma Evans; and brothers J. F. "Floy" Lester and Herschel "Jiggs" Lester. He was also preceded in death by the dearest friends he and Mollie ever had, Billy and Margie Holbrooks.


The funeral arrangements for Mr. Lelon Cecil Lester will be conducted on Friday, May 27, 2016 at eleven o'clock in the morning at the Calvary Missionary Baptist Church (160 Springdale Road, Rockmart, GA 30153) with Rev. Levi Wyatt officiating. The body will lie in state one hour prior to the service at the church.
Interment will follow in the Northview Cemetery with Full Military Rites conducted by the Brewster-Cleveland American Legion Honor Guard Post #86. Rev. Hoyt Lewis will officiate at the graveside services.

The family of Mr. Lester will receive family and friends on Thursday, May 26, 2016 from six o'clock in the evening until eight o'clock in the evening at the Gammage Funeral Home.

Flowers will be accepted, or memorials can be made to Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, 160 Springdale Road, Rockmart, GA 30153.

The pallbearers will be: Caleb Lester, Tyler Golden, Bob Tracy, Jason Gable, Bart Rushing, Scott Dingler, Bartt Pirkle, and Jeff Pirkle. Honorary pallbearers are Ricky Sanders, Benjamin Causby and the Deacons of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church.

Messages of condolence can be made to the family by visiting our website and signing the online guestbook at gammagefh.com.

The Olin L. Gammage and Sons Funeral Home is handling the arrangements for Mr. Lelon Cecil Lester.