Lester (Moe) E. Ness Jr., age 92, of Escanaba passed away on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at the Christian Park Health Care Center in Escanaba.
Lester was born November 12, 1927 in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Lester and Monica (Rondeau) Ness Sr. He graduated from the Escanaba High School in 1946. He served his country proudly in the United States Army where he achieved Expert rank in shooting marksmanship. Lester was united in marriage to Helen Mae Anderson on November 4, 1950 in the St. Joseph Church in Escanaba. He was a member of the St. Joseph and St. Patrick Parish and worked as a mason for Roy Ness Construction for all of his working career where he took great pride in his craft. He loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing and going to his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events. He also obtained his pilot’s license in his younger years.
Lester is survived by his wife, Helen of Escanaba; his children, Tom (Joyce) Ness of Gladstone, Kathy (Rich) Kern of Gaylord, MI, Laurie (Tom) Arkens of Neenah, WI and Karen (Bob) Berbohm of Escanaba; grandchildren, Kelsey and Jared Ness, Jen (Clete) Burrows, Brian Arkens, Madalynn (Mike) Haberkorn, Jessica (Mark) Chouinard, Krista (Josh) Pascoe and Kayla (Jason) VanDrese; 15 great grandchildren; brothers Bill (Shirley) Ness and Harold (Ruth) Ness; sister-in-law, Betty Jane Ness and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by a son, Michael John Ness, grandson, J.W. Pascoe, his parents, brother, Jim Ness, sister, Betty McLaughlin and brother-in-law, Don (Anna Mae) Anderson.
Private funeral services to celebrate the life of Lester will be held at the convenience of the family.
The Ness family would like to thank Dr. Whitmer, Dr. Hartman, Dr. Goulet and the Christian Park HealthCare Center family for their kind and compassionate care.
The family is being assisted by the Skradski Family Funeral Home in Escanaba.
Victoria Anderson - Marshfield, WI
Dear Aunt Helen and cousins Tom, Kathy, Laurie and Karen,
I’m sorry to hear about Uncle Moe’s passing. I always liked him and thought he was so handsome. I never knew him to have much to say, but he seemed to always be privately amused by something. He had good positive energy and he did a lot of excellent masonry for us at the cottage. My thoughts are with you now in your time of loss. As you go on without the earthly presence of your dear husband and father, may you cherish the memories you have of him and find comfort in the thought that he lives on in all of you. Peace and Blessings, Vickie
Audrey Ansell - Escanaba, Mi
Helen and family, I am so sorry for your loss. I will keep you in prayer as you go through the grieving process of the loss of your husband/father.
Audrey Ansell, aka The cookie lady.
Dennis Ness - Gladstone, MI
Helen and Family,
I am so sorry for your loss. Moe was a man with some rare talent and skill. There are many buildings in our area with his workmanship on full display and he was a very key employee with my dad for many many years. Together their skills go back to the early days of Ness Brothers and plastering homes. I doubt if there is anyone around here today that still knows how to perform those skills. When I came back home to work with my Dad I was fortunate to also see first hand the steady hands and knowledge Moe brought to his vocation. Moe was often working with Lief Nelson and two of them were quite a pair and a joy to work with. The quality of their work is still some of the best to be found. I don’t have the words to fill the void I know you will all feel at his loss but please know we are thinking about you and hope the memories of a life well lived will help to comfort you now in your time of need.