Lester Duerksen
Lester “Les” E. Duerksen, age 89 of Sioux Falls, SD passed away surrounded by his beloved family on Friday, January 10, 2025, at his home under hospice care. His Funeral Service will be at 2:00 PM Thursday, January 16, 2025, at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory, Sioux Falls. Visitation will begin an hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Interment at Hills of Rest Cemetery, Sioux Falls.
Lester Eldon Duerksen was born December 16, 1935 in Marion, SD to Rev. Abraham and Marie (Willem) Duerksen and lived in South Dakota, Manitoba, Canada, and Denver, CO. His father was called as pastor for the Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church in Steinbach, Manitoba in 1943. Lester accepted Jesus at a young age, was baptized in the James River, and followed his faith in Christ Jesus his entire life.
Les and Angeline Jean Adrian were married on August 29, 1955. They grew their family in Dolton and Parker, raising five children. Les remarried Carole Elaine (Renli) Wieczorek on October 15, 1983. In marriage, he gained three stepchildren.
Les enjoyed singing in a gospel quartet, played harmonica and loved music. He loved being outdoors, bird watching and travelling national parks. Les enjoyed sketching and painting occasionally and dabbled in wood working. Lester’s early years of employment included: Coyote Feed & Seed of Bridgewater, SD, Duerksen Produce of Bridgewater, SD, and Freeman Co-op Creamery. Later he learned to become an electrician under his brother Art’s guidance. He went on to work for Johnson Electric in Vermillion, SD - travelling throughout the midwest. In 1975, Les became an independent contractor in Parker, SD naming his business “Les Duerksen Electric”. Having spent 32 years in the electrical industry, he achieved the title of Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor. In 1983 he was employed by Denver Place, an office and retail complex in the central business district of Denver, CO, working alongside great co-workers who coined the phrase: How could you ever want more, when you have “Les”.
Les and Carole enjoyed twelve plus years in Colorado with good jobs, long weekends in the mountains and near perfect weather most of the time. They have many good people to remember, but their desire was to come back home to family which prompted their return to South Dakota in 1995. They settled in Sioux Falls where he took on a temporary job as an electrical inspector and after retirement, he worked part time positions for Sioux Falls College, Sunshine and finally as a domestic engineer (raising grandchildren).
Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Carole Duerksen of Sioux Falls, SD; daughter, Carla Hagena of Harrisburg, SD; sons, Ryan Duerksen of Sioux Falls, SD, Russell (Rhonda) Duerksen of Sioux Falls, SD, Corwin (Dawn) Duerksen of Parker, SD, and Kevin (Kris) Duerksen of Sioux Falls, SD; step-sons, Mark Wieczorek and Alan (Anne) Wieczorek, both of Sioux Falls, SD; step-daughter, Angela (Thaddeus) Openhowski of Sioux Falls, SD; eleven grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; and a host of many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.
Les was preceded in death by his parents, Abraham and Marie (Willems) Duerksen; his brothers, Ewald, Albert, Arthur, Abraham, Herbert, and Harry Duerksen; his sisters, Elsie Lowen, Rozella Mackey, Tillie Dick, and Marge Nelsen; and his grandson, Joshua Duerksen.