March 29, 2024

A native son sails on

Leland Lester, Colfax native and Pearl Harbor survivor, passes away at age 94

One of the last of Iowa’s remaining survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor has passed away.

Leland Lester died Sunday at Skiff Medical Center in Newton at age 94.

The funeral service was at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Howard Street Christian Church in Colfax, with the burial following at the Colfax Cemetery.

Lester, who was born and raised in rural Colfax, was 19 and had just joined the Navy when, while serving aboard the drydocked battleship USS Pennsylvania, the Japanese attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. He went on to serve on another battleship, the USS California. After the war he married Martha Jane Boatwright, and the couple had three children.

Lester wasn’t able to talk about war for many years, but eventually, he said, he felt the need to tell his story. After living in New Jersey for years, he returned to Jasper County in 2001, and became admired all over again for sharing his story at schools and other venues.

Lester’s granddaughter, Stephanie Linn, said her grandfather was always welcomed back after he spoke about his experiences.

“He spoke at a lot of places and they always wanted him to come back,” Linn said. “He would talk to veterans or civilians.”

More than 2,400 people were killed and more than 1,100 were wounded in the attacks, which brought the U.S. directly into World War II, and there were casualties among the crew of Lester’s ship, the USS Pennsylvania. The USS California also suffered casualties during an attack, and Lester told the Newton Daily News one of his most vivid memories was funerals for sailors at sea.

Lester remained active with the VFW, and received a Gold Circle Award from that organization. He attended a Pearl Harbor Survivors Reunion in San Diego, and went on one of the Honor Flights that took veterans to Washington, D.C. memorials in 2009.

Lester’s passing means there might be only two living Pearl Harbor survivors in Iowa, including Bob Ulrich.

The Newton Daily News spoke with Ulrich by phone from his home in rural Lisbon. Ulrich said he remained active in veterans organizations until he couldn’t move around well.

The Adair County Free Press confirmed Clarence Pfundheller, a Pearl Harbor survivor who has been interviewed by national media, still resides in the Audobon area. Harlan J. Searle, Mason City’s last Pearl Harbor survivor, died in April at age 93.

Lester’s wife, Martha, died in the early 1960s. He outlived his only two siblings, older brothers Bob and Francis “Durlyn” Lester.

In addition to the Lesters’ children, David Lester, Fredena Pion and Margie Louise Heston, the couple is survived by Linn and eight other grandchildren, as well as nine great-grandchildren.

For a 2009 story, Lester told the Newton Daily News what it was like to see kamikaze planes bearing the red sun of the Japanese fleet, and why he felt it was critical to tell stories about what the attack on Pearl Harbor was like.

“I will give talks to anyone who wants me to, as long as I can do it,” Lester said in 2009. “It’s important the day be remembered.”

Lester gave his final recorded talks on the events at Pearl Harbor Nov. 6 with 12 other military veterans who told their stories as part of this year’s Veterans History Project. Hosted by the Iowa Court Reporters Association at DMACC in Newton, the veterans dictated their military experiences, which were recorded using stenography technology by members of the association.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com