John M. Lester, loving husband, father
John M. Lester, 86, passed away peacefully at his home in Lewes the morning of Sunday, June 16, 2024, after a brave year-long battle with cancer. He was born and raised in St. Georges, was a native Delawarean, a loving husband, fantastic father, grandfather, and friend to many. John and Carolyn raised their family in Newark before moving to Lewes in 1990, a place he loved dearly, a place he and his young family had spent summers since 1963.
John is survived by the love of his life, Carolyn Philips Lester, his wife of 61 years; his children, Cherie Lester of Washington, D.C., John M. Lester Jr. of Lewes, and Andrew Lester of New York City; grandchildren, Emily Lester, Sarah Lester Banks, Hudson Lester and John M. Lester III; daughters-in-law, Jennifer Cunningham Lester and Lorraine Lester; and his beloved cat, Dusty.
John was a prolific entrepreneur starting at a young age, working full time until 85 as owner and head architectural designer of Design Ideas Inc., a successful design business he established and grew over 40 years ago. John was recognized as a preeminent designer throughout the state of Delaware, and his award-winning architectural designs have been featured in several local and national publications.
He served as the chairman of the City of Lewes Historic Preservation Architectural Review Commission for 23 years, was a member of the steering committee for Art in Bloom, a citywide initiative to bring public art to the city of Lewes, and was the recipient of the Lewes Historical Society Stewardship Award, recognized for an outstanding body of work of historic preservation and design. John restored and rebuilt many of Lewes’s historic residential homes in addition to designing commercial projects including Harbour Restaurant, Raas Indian Restaurant, the Bastian Building, King’s Way Professional Center, an addition to the former Lewes Public Library, and many more.
John’s work was his passion. When he wasn’t busy designing on the drawing board in his studio, he could be found pursuing one of his many other creative talents, including abstract sculpture, drawing, painting, and creative writing. John’s love of writing and deep fondness for New Mexico, its people, history, and landscape led him to extensively research and publish his first novel in 2017, “The Corn Singer.” John also authored a children’s book, “Night Gardens,” in addition to countless short stories. John loved cycling the bike trails of Sussex County and horseback riding out West with The Comancheros, a group of great friends who enjoyed several fun adventures over recent years.
John is a graduate of Goldey-Beacom Business College in Wilmington and Philadelphia Museum College of Art in Philadelphia, Pa. He studied creative writing at University of Delaware, Long Ridge Writers Group, and Wilmington College. He was a member of Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild.
A celebration of life service will be held from 11 a.m. to noon, Thursday, July 11, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 200 2nd St., Lewes, with visitation from 10 to 11 a.m. After the service, a reception will be held at noon in the parish hall.
The family would like to thank our amazing community of friends here in Lewes, especially our neighbors on Market Street, for their love and support over the last year. It means more than we can say.
In place of flowers, the family suggests contributions in John’s name be made to Delaware Hospice or St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
