Lester Walsingham

Lester Walsingham, age 95, of Spring Valley died Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at Spring Valley Health and Rehabilitation Center.

Visitation will be Saturday, September 21, 2019 from noon until 1 p.m. at Keehr Funeral Home, Spring Valley with a memorial service at 1 at the funeral home.

Military Honors will be performed by the Rickerd-Danielson American Legion Post 227 of Spring Valley.

Lester Walsingham, age 95 of Spring Valley, passed away Wednesday, September 11 at the Spring Valley Health and Rehabilitation Center.

Les was born April 11, 1924 to Floyd and Pearl Walsingham on the home farm in Salem Township in Pierce County Wisconsin. He attended Ellsworth Schools and graduated with the class of 1941. Following graduation he worked on his parent’s farm and had various other jobs until being drafted into the US Army on April 19, 1944. He spent his time in Europe until the end of the war and returned home in June of 1946. Upon his return, Lesterstarted a trucking business in Spring Valley joining with Harris Samb to form their new venture: Samb and Walsingham.

In the fall of 1950, he married “the prettiest German girl on the Norwegian Ridge”, Rosella Kurschinski. They had four children: Vicki, Leslie, Dan and John. Lester decided to change careers and joined the Wisconsin State Patrol in 1956. This position would take Les and his family all over the state of Wisconsin until his retirement in 1982 as Captain of District 8 in Spooner, Wisconsin. Les and Rose lived on Shell Lake during the warm months and headed to Arizona and sometimes Florida during the cold Wisconsin winters for 27 years making many wonderful friends. They eventually returned to Spring Valley in 2010, living at Valley Villas.

Les was active in many organizations in Spooner…church council, city alderman, rodeo committee chairman, and school board. He loved fishing, playing golf, and playing cards whenever possible.

Preceding him in death were his wife, Rose, one son, John, brother Leroy, sisters and their spouses, Vivian and Max Kopp and Margie and Wayne Bast. 

Les is survived by 2 daughters and 1 son: Vicki(Gary) Siebold of River Falls, Leslie (Mike) Randall of Vulcan MI, and Dan (Jane) Walsingham of Green Bay; sisters-in-laws Marian Walsingham of Hudson and Phyllis Kerg of Elmwood; 5 grandchildren: Josh (Casey) Donatell of Grand Rapids, MN; Jordan (Lisa) Donatell of Hudson, Mason (Amanda) Randall of Northfield, MN; Travis Randall of Gilbert, AZ; and Maggie (Ray) Arrozal of Green Bay; 5 great grandchildren: August and Isaac Randall, Daniel Donatell, Raymond Jr, and Ryan Arrozal; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Visitation will be in the funeral home on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 12:00-1:00 with a memorial service at 1:00.

Keehr Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

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