Betty Lester

June 18, 1920 - July 31, 2011

Elizabeth Fisher Lester Betty Lester, loving wife of the late Major John C. Lester, Jr. (retired) died in peace on Sunday evening July 31, 2011 at the NHC Healthcare Center in Charleston, S. C. The visitation will be on Thursday, August 4, 2011 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at The Poteet Funeral Home, 3465 Peach Orchard Road, Augusta, and at St. Albans Episcopal Church on Friday, August 5, 2011 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. The funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday at 1:00 p.m. at St. Albans Episcopal Church, 2321 Lumpkin Road, Augusta, with Father Billy Alford officiating. The committal services will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Park. Betty was the daughter of the late William and Isabelle Fisher, and the great granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Wentworth from Albany, New York. Mrs. Lester is survived by her three children, John (Bonnie) Lester, Ellen (Joda) Fortson, and Mary (Mike Murray) Lester and their families, grandchildren John Albert (Kris) Lester, Lisa (Chris) Miller, Richard Lester, and Kara Kearns and great grandchildren, Caroline and Courtney Miller, John Erik and Coleman Lester. Mrs. Lester’s life was marked by her devotion to her family. She was a loving daughter, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and great grandmother. Betty always expressed compassion for her friends, her neighbors, and her deep belief in the Episcopalian faith. Betty was a founding member of the St. Albans Women’s Auxiliary, the Monday Tea Group, and served faithfully on the St. Alban’s Altar Guild. Betty was a local Augustan artist. Her oil paintings had been exhibited at the Downtown Augusta Library and local art fairs. She was also known for her expert sewing and fashionable designs. At the age of 86, she continued to design jewelry to donate to a missionary orphanage. The family requests that memorials be made to Solaris Hospice of Charleston, N Main Street,Moncks Corner, South Carolina 29461. The Poteet Funeral Home, 3465 Peach Orchard Road, Augusta, Georgia, 706.798.8886, is in charge of the funeral arrangements.