Lester Benner

Lester Benner, 94, longtime resident of Snowflake, Arizona, passed away January 28, 2015, at Summit Healthcare. Les was awaiting heart valve surgery at the time of his death. Les was born in Worland, Wyoming, to John Leroy Benner and Katherine Fink Benner on January 12, 1921. Les came from a family of 11 children and was raised on the Hammond Valley Ranch in Montana. Younger brother, Willie Benner, is the only surviving sibling. During his youth, Les farmed, cowboyed, and was a Golden Gloves boxer. Later, Les was a general contractor in Billings, Montana. After he moved to Snowflake, Les did a lot of heavy equipment work for ranchers in the area. On September 11, 1943, Les married his sweetheart, Victoria Elizabeth Yonkaitis. Les and Victoria were married 71+ years and were absolutely devoted to each other. They had six children: Linda (Ray) Tetschner-Billings, MT; Vicki (Terry) Owen of Snowflake, AZ; Les (Nancy) Benner of Billings, MT; Sandy (Rick) Porter of Casper, WY; Elaine (Mike) Lambrecht of Billings, MT; and Pamela Marchant of Snowflake, AZ. Les and Vicki had 13 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. Les achieved many things during his lifetime, but his greatest achievement was his family, all of whom miss him immensely. His children, grandchildren, and sons- and daughters-in-law would describe Les as eternally young, positive, strong, stoic, and fun-loving. All who knew him enjoyed his wit and sense of humor. We know Les is at peace but for now, we are not---we miss him. Services will be at 11:00 on February 2, 2015, at the Valley View Southern Baptist Church, 1212 W. Main St., in Snowflake, Arizona.