Les, as he encouraged his friends to call him, passed away on Monday, September 30, 2024. Four days before his 92nd birthday. He lived his life making sure that everyone around him knew they were loved.
He is preceded in death by his parents and his siblings William, Warren, Dorothy, and Margaret.
Les was the youngest of 5 children born to Ruth and John Rilea. Because he was the baby of the family, his sister Dorothy, started first grade a year late so she could walk to school with her little brother. Les graduated from Forest Lake Academy in Apopka, Fl where he later returned as a member of that faculty.
In May 1954, Les married La Sina Harrison. They graduated together from Southern Missionary College a year later. They have three children, Lester, Jr. (Rhonda); Michael Lee; and Cheri Rilea Iverson (Gregg). They have three grandchildren, Carrie Heilman (Ryan); Grant Iverson (Kirsten); and Michael Alan Rilea (fiancé Natalie Winans). They also have four great-grandchildren, Claire and Easton Heilman, and Elisha and Asher Iverson. Les and La Sina were married for 70 years.
Les worked more than 55 years for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He began his ministry at Adventist boarding schools where for 11 years as a boy’s dean, starting in North Carolina, followed by Florida, and then Michigan. He then served as the Youth Director leading education and other youth programs in Wisconsin and Michigan for 20 years. This included summer camp programs for kids, and he enjoyed this more than anything he ever did. He loved working with kids and young people, especially in that environment. For the remainder of Les’s career, he served as a chaplain in the Southeast, retiring at the age of 81. He clearly loved his work because he could impact people, especially young people. He was well known for his mentorship, generosity, leadership, and humor.
When Les and La Sina moved back to the Southeast, he also began bringing his extended family together for an annual family reunion that has taken place 35 times and counting. These were weekends of sharing, worship, laughter, and tears that brought the family closer.
In the last few years of Les’s life, he and La Sina moved to Orlando, Fl where they could be close to their children. These were great years for the immediate family. During this period, he also was a bright light in the retirement community where they lived. Much like the rest of his life, everyone knew him, and he blessed their lives.