Lester William Scherschligt

Celebrant
Fr. Anthony Urban
Lector
Brian Maxwell
Music
Organist ~ Emily Walloch
Special Music ~
Mark Scherschligt & Karen Harrington
Congregational Hymns
“Battle Hymn of the Republic”
“Prayer of St. Frances”
“I Can Only Imagine”
“Come to Jesus”
Honorary Casketbearers
Lester’s Grandchildren, Great-Grandchildren,
& Great-Great-Grandchilden
Active Casketbearers
Brett Scherschligt, Travis Ranek,
Adam Winckler, Brandon Deffenbaugh,
David Steffen, and Colin Shantz
Lester William Scherschligt was born September 29, 1934 to John and Otillia (Hladky) Scherschligt at home on their farm by Menno, South Dakota. Born during the "dirty 30's" he often proclaimed, “We didn't have much but we always ate well and we always knew love.” It was a life lesson he carried with him his entire life.
Les had 3 basic loves: his God, his family, and baseball. He went to several country grade schools and attended both Scotland and Wolsey High Schools. In 1952, he joined the U.S. Army and went to Korea. After Korea, he was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington. He married JoAnn Vaith in Olympia, Washington on June 18, 1955. After his honorable discharge, they returned to South Dakota. In their early years they moved around eventually buying a farm and settling by Lesterville. On that farm they raised their family, grew their faith, and built their dreams.

Les was an active member in the community. He belonged to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, the Lesterville Fire Department, the VFW, the American Legion, and played baseball for the Lesterville Broncs. Baseball was a lifelong passion beginning when he was 15 years old playing on the State Amateur Baseball Championship team and ending some 50 years later when he played on 2 South Dakota teams that won World Series Championships in the Men's Senior Baseball League in Mesa, Arizona. Telling and retelling those 50 years of baseball stories was his favorite pastime. In 1998, Les was inducted into the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 1980, he lost the love of his life, his wife JoAnn, to cancer. He lived the next 39 years with the void she left in his heart and his life. On May 10, 2019 their spirits were once again united in the loving presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

He is survived by his 7 children: Warren (Janet) Scherschligt of Freeman, SD, Debora Maxwell of Tyndall, SD, Nick (Valorie) Scherschligt of Yankton, SD, Lisa (Ken) Winckler of Tyndall, SD, Jean (Mike) Deffenbaugh of Sioux Falls, SD, Carol Steffen of Sioux Falls, SD, Patty Everson of Sioux Falls, SD; 25 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; 3 great-great-grandchildren; brothers Ray Scherschligt of Mitchell, SD and Art (Earla) Scherschligt Olatha, Kansas; sisters-in-law Vi Scherschligt of Wessington Springs, SD and Dorothy Wurtz of Yankton, SD; brothers-in-law Ken (Elaine) Vaith of Lesterville, SD and Art (Charlene) Vaith of Lesterville, SD; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife JoAnn, parents John and Otillia Scherschligt, parents-in-laws Adolf and Lillian Vaith, sister Helen Kaiser, brothers John Scherschligt and Fred Scherschligt, sisters-in-law Margie and Mary Jane Scherschligt, brothers-in-law Bernard Zitka and Hank Kaiser, sons-in-law Mike Ranek and Tom Maxwell, and great-granddaughter Katelyn Tennant.
This obituary was written in loving memory by the family of Lester Scherschligt.