Lester 'Les' Clarence Gissel, 94

Lester "Les" Clarence Gissel, 94, passed away on April 24, 2004, surrounded by his loving sons, daughters and grandchildren.

Memorial services will be conducted at 3 p.m. Friday, April 30, 2004, in the Sandpoint Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Les was born in Payette, Idaho, on Nov. 19, 1909. There he met and married Edith Gladhart in 1931.

Les and Edith started their family in Payette with the birth of their two sons, Conrad and Norman.

In 1945, they moved to Sandpoint, where Les started his career by becoming the first North Idaho regional officer for the Idaho Fish and Game Department.

One of his most rewarding achievements was starting the hunters' safety program with his longtime best friend, Don Samuelson. This enabled Les to pass on the outdoor heritage that he loved so much.

After retiring from the Fish and Game in 1976, Les and Edith enjoyed their leisure years by spending time with their grandchildren, bowling and cutting up the rug down at the Eagles and Elks. Les never had a chance to sit because his dance card was always full.

He lost his beloved wife, Edith, on Dec. 31, 1979.

Les was blessed to have yet another beautiful wife in his life, Judith Larkin, whom he married in 1981. Les and Judith had many years together sharing the outdoors that they both loved. And, once again, they enjoyed tearing up the lanes and dance floors of North Idaho. Les and Judith were able to fulfill one of Les's longtime dreams of traveling to Alaska to enjoy the great fishing and splendor of the last frontier.

In between gardening, fishing and taking excursions to the stomping grounds of his life, Les's greatest joy was handing down his life legacy to his family, friends, grandchildren and great-grandchildren through the art of storytelling.

Les was faithfully by Judith's side during her long illness. Judith preceded Les in death on Feb. 25, 2003. He was also preceded in death by two brothers, Eldro and Henry Gissel of Payette, Idaho.

He is survived by his sons, Conrad and his wife, LaRae Gissel of Laguna Hills, Calif., and Norman and his wife, Diana Gissel of Coeur d'Alene; his stepdaughter, Janice (Larkin) and her husband, Leo Miller, of Anchorage, Alaska; stepsons, Larry and his wife, Ann Larkin of Hope; Keith and his wife, Diana, Larkin of Nampa, Rick and his wife, Julie, Larkin of Sandpoint; his sisters, Arlene (Gissel) Debban of Payette, and Erma (Gissel) and her husband, Dale Whittle of Payette; nine grandchildren, Kellee (Gissel) and Bob Merrill of Sandpoint, Traci Gissel of Sandpoint, Gregory Gissel of Laguna Hills, Calif., Greta Gissel of San Francisco, Calif., Leila (Gissel-Rasher) and Keith Rasher of Renton, Wash., and Perry Larkin of Portland, Ore.; and nine-and-a-half great-grandchildren, Candice and Gregory Gissel of Laguna Hills, Breanna Gissel of Sandpoint, Maddison and Forrest Gissel of Weston, Ore., Jordan and Kaleb Merrill of Sandpoint, and Jonathan, Jacob and a new great-grandson to be born in May 2004, of Renton, Wash.

Memorials may be made to the American Lung Association, 61 Broadway, New York, NY, 10006, or online at www.lungusa.org (click on donate, scroll down to creative ways to give, click on the link and donate in his memory).

Final arrangements are under the care of Coffelt Funeral Service of Sandpoint.