Lester C. Janssen

HAWARDEN, IOWA ~ Lester C. Janssen, 102, of Hawarden, passed away on Monday, Memorial Day, May 25, 2026, at Akron Care Center in Akron, Iowa.

Funeral Service will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 1, 2026, at Trinity Lutheran Church, LCMS, with Rev. Dr. Joshua Lowe officiating. Burial, with military rites, will follow at Grace Hill Cemetery at Hawarden. The funeral service will be livestreamed on the Trinity Lutheran Church Facebook page. Visitation with the family will be from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a Prayer Service at 5:00 p.m., on Sunday at the Porter Funeral Home in Hawarden. Condolences may be sent to www.porterfuneralhomes.com.

Lester Janssen was born July 17, 1923, to Dietrich “Dick” and Anna (Beitelspacher) Janssen in Plymouth County, Iowa. Lester was the oldest of five brothers and one sister. He grew up in the Grant Township Vicinity and attended country school near Mink Creek.

He did farm work for a time prior to enlisting in the Army in 1946. He became a paratrooper, trained in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Before leaving for the military, he married Lois Carol Barinsky on January 21st, 1946. They have two children, Rhonda and Paul. Lois passed away January 27, 1996, just after they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Upon returning from the Army, Lester went to work for Ireton Block and Tile which sparked his interest in building. He honed his building skills under the mentorship of Ben Jacobe. He learned well and went on to build many homes, the Farmer’s State Bank in Hawarden, the chapel at Calliope Village and more, including many remodels. He was a co-owner in the Hawarden Lumber Company and was a long-time active member of Calliope Village. He certainly enjoyed the friends he made participating with the Hawarden Farmers Market each summer and his people at the Senior Center. In February of 2020 Lester was nominated as Hawarden’s Citizen of the year at 97 years old. Most recently, he received a letter of appreciation from the U.S. Secretary of Veteran Affairs as a Centenarian having served in World War II and now a part of the country’s “Greatest Generation.”

Lester was a long-time faithful member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hawarden. He served as an elder, an usher, and an 8th grade Sunday school teacher for 40 plus years. He must have left an enduring impression on many of those 8th graders as they are still friends today. He was also a member of the Hawarden American Legion Post 254. In August of 2017, he went to Washington DC on the very first Midwest Honor Flight accompanied by his daughter. It was a special day indeed for both.

Lester is survived by his children: Rhonda and her fiancé Rod Hervey of Indianola, Iowa and Paul and his fiancé LaRae Power of Le Mars, Iowa; his brothers, Kenneth (Charlene) Janssen of Hawarden and Harold (Dixie) Janssen of Tenstrike, Minnesota; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Lester was proceeded in death by his parents, Dick and Anna Janssen; his wife, Lois; 2 brothers, Walter and wife Wanda and Melvin and wife Joyce; his sister, Velma and her husband Robert; and his special friend, Neva Kircher.

We will always cherish Lester’s memory and the values he upheld throughout his life.