William J. Lesh, Sr.

William J. Lesh, Sr., 75, West Mountain of Scranton, died Christmas Day at home after an illness.   His wife of 42 years is the former Lynn Johnson.                              .

Born in Scranton he was the son of the late William F. and Mary Schamberg Lesh he was a graduate of the West Scranton High Class of 1958.  He retired from the Scranton School District in 2002 from the maintenance department where he was a stone mason for over 30 years. He was a United States Army Veteran.

He was a Forest Fire Warden for the PA Dept of Forestry.  An avid hunter and fisherman, he enjoyed spending summer vacations at Lake Genero.  Bill was a former treasurer and coach for the Lackawanna Little League where he had the honor of coaching his sons and was a former stock car driver, racing at Moc-A-Tek Speedway.  He was a fan of the Chicago Bears, Penn State Football and the New York Yankees.  Bill was the neighborhood handyman, fixing all the of the neighbor’s lawn mowers.   At Christmas time he especially enjoyed his model train setup. 

His grandkids and great grandkids were the joys of his life along with his beloved dog Rusty. 

Surviving are daughters Bonnie Owens and her companion Tim Smith of Greenfield Twp., Lynn Marie Lesh of Scranton and Diana Galdieri and husband Randy of Scranton; sons Glenn Lesh and his wife Jennifer of Moosic Lakes, William J. Lesh, Jr and his fiancé Ellen Van Sickle of Moscow and David A. Lesh and his wife Dawn of Scranton; nineteen grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; sisters Frances Cleary and Margaret Lowry both of Scranton;  several nieces and nephews.

Preceded in death by a sister Mary Diana Altenhain.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 10am in the Vanston and James Funeral Home 1401 Ash St. Scranton with Rev. Jerry Major, III of NEPA Youth for Christ officiating.

Friends may call Tuesday from 4-7pm.

Interment, Abington Hills Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, because of Bill’s love of horses memorial contributions may be made to Equines For Freedom PO Box 53 Factoryville, PA 18419.

Those serving as pallbearers were:  Glenn Lesh, William Lesh, Jr, David Lesh, Randy Galdieri, Brett Lesh, Doug Altenhain, Billy James, Greg Cleary and Robbie Owens

17 Comments

  1. Diana Lesh Galdieri

    Daddy I miss you already, I cant believe that youre gone. Im going to be so lost without you here. Please give me signs when youre around. I love you with all my heart!!!

  2. Jeremy Presson

    Prayers thoughts and love for the entire family.

  3. Wendy Sandly

    To the Lesh family I am so sorry for your loss. After reading numerous posts you can see he was a great man and everyone loved him. He raised such wonderful caring kid’s with Mrs. Lesh. We are thinking about all of you in this time of great sadness.

    Love,

    Wendy and Frank Sandly

  4. Kathleen and Margaret O'connor

    We would like to say how sorry for the loss of a husband father grandfather great grandfather, also father in law .to the family . He will never be forgotten .

  5. Kristin Perez

    Lynn,

    I am very sorry for your loss. I will say prayers for u and your family. If u need anything please call me..

  6. Rita Lesh Kircher

    My dear cousin you will be sadly missed. I will miss you at the family reunions, you always thought I looked like Haley Barry, couldn’t quite figure out why. But you saw it. That was all that counted. Fly high with the Angels cousin. And may the good lord comfort your family and friends at this sad time. Let them take comfort in knowing you are at piece and no longer in pain. Love to you all.

  7. Dawn Bingham

    I am truly sorry for your loss!!!! Bill was a great that I have had a pleasure for many many years!!! He was a loving man that would do anything for anyone yet tell it like it was no matter who got hurt but in the end he still loves you!!! He will be deeply missed by me as well!! If any of you need anything please don’t hesitate to let me know! Love you all

  8. Kathleen Rebernik

    Im so sorry for ur loss i never met him bu my mom makes him sound like he was a cheerful guy i know all of the people nd im reallly sorry guys Lynn tell Brett i lost a bestfriend to that was when i was 8 or 9 my bff was my Grandma SO SORRY FOR UR LOSS LOVE Kathy

  9. Colleen Knecht

    Rest in peace. You have a wonderful family who love you dearly. My deepest sympathy to Bill jr and your entire family.
    Go with God Sir your work here is done.
    God speed

  10. Gina Crawford

    My Deepest Sympathies go to His Entire Family. Mrs.Lesh Lynn,Billy,Glenn,David and Diana.I’m terribly sorry for your loss.What A wonderfull SelfLess man he was.He will definitely light up The Heavens and bring much Laughter. He will continue to watch over you all and continue to make you smile.GodBless you All..
    I’m sure Mr.Lesh would want nothing more than for u all to Smile, NOT cry as he hasn’t left he’s NOT really that far if you all continue to keep him close in Heart. GodBless
    . Love Virginia

  11. Judy Simone Tomlinson

    Lynn and family,

    I am so very sorry for your loss,Bill was a great person and ill never forget how he teased me everytime he saw me,as i watched you kids grow up a great friendship formed with your family.R I P Bill,may the angels bless you and your family.

    with deepest sympathy and love,

    Judy

  12. Jeff mulderig

    Very sorry for your loss

  13. AJ Zambetti

    I am so sorry for your loss. He was a great man and an outstanding father. I have many memories that include your dad. He will be missed. Maybe he and my dad can coach some ball in heaven!

  14. The Petros

    Jennifer and family,
    So sorry for you loss. If you need anything we are here for you. Love you! Karla, Jim and Jay

  15. Alice suwak

    I am so sorry Lynn. Condolences to you and your family.

  16. Debbie Johnson

    I don’t have words to describe the loss of Bill I will always have fond memories of him and his hand in Sunday dinner for the family.Lynn I love you and will hold you close in my heart and prayers in the days weeks months and years to come.R.I.P.Bill

  17. Pete Mielo

    There were times I felt I spent as much time in the Lesh’s yard as my own. Mr Lesh was nice to me, even when Billy and I were probably causing trouble. We had a true neighborhood where you could roam the neighborhood from one yard or house to another, with no fear. Guys like Mr Lesh were a huge part of that. I commented when I shared the page on Facebook, all our heroes are passing on. It’s a sad time. My prayers to the Lesh family, I think of you like extensions of my own family.

Leave Your Condolences

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.