Funeral services for Lester C. Ericsson, 89, of Albert Lea will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Calvary Baptist Church. The Rev. Bob Weniger will officiate. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service at the church. To sign the guest book, go to www.bayviewfuneral.com.

Lester passed from this life on March 12, 2011, at Thorne Crest Retirement Community.

Les was born to Anders Conrad and Nellie Octavia Ericsson of Sioux City, Iowa, on Jan. 28, 1922. He was the youngest of their five children; Florence, Blanche, Jeaunette, LaVerl and Lester.

In 1939, he left school to work with the Civilian Conservation Corps for about six months before returning to Central High School where he graduated in June 1940.

Les married his high school sweetheart, Maxine (Mickey) Kaus, on Aug. 30, 1941. Les was drafted into the U.S. Navy on May 6, 1943, and after training in Idaho and Pennsylvania was sent to the Navy Supply Depot at Pearl Harbor, after which he was shipped out to the Admiralty Islands, Philippines, and finally to Okinawa before finally being discharged on Dec. 7, 1945. Although he had been offered a commission with the Navy, he declined so that he could return home sooner to his family.

After discharge from the Navy, Les was employed by the U.S. Post Office where he served in Sioux City, Iowa, and Minneapolis until he was offered the position of postmaster at Albert Lea, where he remained until retirement.

Les has always been very active with his church, with Gideons International, with the Albert Lea Senior Center, and with many other community and civic activities. He was recognized as the Freeborn County Senior Citizen of the Year in 1995.

Hobbies enjoyed by Les were many but primarily were his family, board games, painting, stamp collecting and coin collecting. He was an avid reader of Louis L’Amour and Max Brand western novels.

He is survived by his sister, Jeaunette Nall, of Des Moines, Iowa; his six children: Larry (Sandy) of Norwalk, Iowa, Janice (Ernie) Busack of Echo, Patricia of Bradford, Ark., Kenneth (Yolanda) of MoorPark, Calif., Valerie (John) Reynolds of Anoka and Eric (Nilanga) of Shakopee; plus 12 grandchildren, their spouses, and nine great-grandchildren.

His life will be celebrated with a private family burial alongside his beloved and much missed wife at Graceland Cemetery in Sioux City, Iowa.

Memorial contributions may be directed to Thorne Crest Retirement Community or to Calvary Baptist Church, both of Albert Lea.