Lester E. Lehmkuhl, age 84 of Versailles, Ohio passed away on June 9, 2010 at his residence. He was born on July 12, 1925 in Minster, Ohio, the son of the late Harry G. and Cecilia B. (Daniel) Lehmkuhl.Lester married Elizabeth J. (Barga) Goubeaux on August 4, 1960. She preceded him in death on April 7, 2008.
He is survived by four children and spouses: Victoria and Eugene Cordonnier of Russia, Ohio, Catherine and Angelo Vaughn of Fort Myers, Florida, Steven and Jacqui Lehmkuhl of Tipp City, Ohio, Amy and Vernon Ahrns of Fort Loramie, Ohio; 13 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren; Brothers: Robert L. Lehmkuhl of Minster, Ohio, Alfred F. Lehmkuhl of Bellevue, Ohio, Sisters: Mary Lou Sweida of San Pedro, California, and Sr. Ann Catherine of Englewood, Ohio.
In July 1943, Lester graduated from Minster High School and went to work on the family farm. He was called to serve our nation in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1944 to 1946. After his honorable discharge, he attended The Ohio State University from 1946 to 1949, graduating with a BS degree in Poultry Husbandry. He was hired by Swift and Company and worked in their poultry division from 1949 to 1953 in Muscatine, Iowa and then in Montevideo, Minnesota. His career advanced when he was offered a management position with Southern Ohio Egg Producers in Nelsonville, Ohio. He held this position from 1953 to 1958 and under his supervision; a state of the art egg processing plant was planned and built in Somerset, Ohio.
Once this project was completed, Lester accepted the position as manager of the Poultry Processing Division in Versailles, Ohio in 1958. The operation thrived under his guidance and supervision and he stayed with this facility until 1970 when he retired from private industry to take up farming. He, along with his brothers, operated Lakeview Poultry Farms in Minster, Ohio. They raised beef cattle, hogs, sheep, laying hens, and maintained crops of corn, soybeans, and hay. Lester retired from farming in 1987.
Lester was a member of St. Denis and Holy Family Catholic Churches and was a member of the Knights of Columbus for more than 50 years. Over the years, he was a member and past president of the Versailles, Ohio, Lions Club, a member and past president of the Somerset, Ohio Rotary Club, a member and past president of Nelsonville, Ohio, Kiwanis Club and a member and past president of the Federated Egg and Poultry Sales organization. He also sat on the Board of Zoning Appeals in Versailles.