Margaret (Marge) Lester, 88, Started Preschool in Hawaii

Margaret (Marge) Lester, 88, passed away on May 14, 2012. She was born on Jan. 15, 1924.

Marge married her high school sweetheart, Clifford, in 1943 and they raised three children,  David (filmmaker), Teece (wildlife educator) and Brian (musician, performer, electronic technician). Cliff, a professional dancer, worked as a pumper engineer for the Cleveland Fire Department until they created a successful dance studio, which they ran for 24. When their children left home, they relocated to Hawaii.

The 16 years the couple spent Oahu was the motivation for  Marge's first book, "Children as Teachers," chronicling her creation of a very special preschool where unconditional love, agreements and natural consequences ruled. She believed the preschool and the book that grew out of it were her greatest achievements.

They returned to the mainland and eventually to Cleveland where Cliff's Alzheimer's disease claimed his life in 2008. That event triggered her penning of a short monograph called "Our Journey with Alzheimer's" which has assisted friends and strangers alike as they struggled with the losing of a loved one in slow motion.

Since then she has remained the focal point of her family, including granddaughter Eva Lester and grandsons Zachary Goebelt, Joseph Lester, and Caleb Goebelt and two great grandchildren, Gwendolyn and Dean Goebelt.

Marge’s final gift to her loving family was her memoir called "Dragonfly,” in which she wrote, "I often think about Jesus Christ and how He changed the world. The trouble is that everyone is so involved in the crucifixion that we overlook the most important message He tried to teach us; ‘Love one another as I love you.’"

Memorial contributions may be forwarded to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Services will be held at a later date.

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