The Memorial Service for Stanley J. Lesselyoung, age 83 of Lemmon, will be held at 11:00am, Tuesday, November 18, 2014 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Lemmon. Deacon Bill Dustman will officiate and burial will be in Greenhill Cemetery.

Stanley James Lesselyoung was born on November 23, 1930 in Harding County, SD near Ralph to Stephen Edward and Irene Agnes (Mohr) Lesselyoung. He attended a local country school and the Jefferson School near Sorum, and worked for area farmers and ranchers.

Stan served in the U.S. Army from May 21, 1953 until his honorable discharge on April 30, 1955. He then attended Aberdeen Normal School where he earned his teaching certificate. Stan returned to Harding County where he taught and continued to work for area ranchers south of Reva in the Sorum area.

In 1958, Stan began what would be his lifelong career in construction and carpentry, working for Bison Lumber with Milford Cooper. In 1959, he moved to Lemmon and worked for Charlie Voigt, and later on went out on his own. He continued working construction and carpentry up to the time of his death.


From a very young age, Stan had a love for music. He played many instruments over the years – piano, guitar, banjo, violin, mandolin, and accordion to name a few – and enjoyed the many family music sessions that took place over the years. Stan was a kind, gentle and humble man. He was the rock in the family, assisting his brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews through good and bad times with steady, unfailing support and wisdom. He was a quiet man by nature, but loved a good visit about the news, politics and current events. Family was important to him, and he kept in touch with relatives near and far. Like his brothers and sisters, he shared many stories about growing up in the Lesselyoung family; and those stories will be cherished by his many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Stan passed away on Sunday, November 9, 2014 at his home in Lemmon.
He will be greatly missed by his surviving family members who include his 3 sisters and 1 brother-in-law: Anna (Peg) Arneson, Detroit Lakes, MN; Mary Kari, Lemmon, SD; Connie and John Hay, Lemmon, SD; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, 7 brothers - John, Robert, Gordon, Steve, Leonard, Edward, and Frank Lesselyoung; 3 sisters - Genevieve Kuhr, Jean Smith, and Martha O'Connor; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be on Monday from 1:00 to 7:00pm at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon.