Chester, Louis
CHESTER, Louis Montez
Louis Montez Chester, former resident of Big Canoe, GA, passed away May 7, 2021 as he slept. His wife, Mary Jane, was by his side. He was 95 years old.
"Lou" was born in McKeesport, Allegheny Co., PA March 12, 1926, the son of Louis Frederick Chester and Letah MacBrier Chester. He had one older sister, Margaret Chester. Lou's family moved to Corning, New York where Lou attended high school. Deciding that high school was no longer "for him," Lou walked out one afternoon and applied for work at Corning Glass Works, where he was hired immediately as a lab assistant. Without informing his parents, he started getting up in the morning and going to work instead of school. Upon receiving a call from the high school principal, who had assumed Lou had simply been truant, Lou's father threatened to take him down to the coal mine to work. Lou replied, "No thanks, I already have a GOOD job." He was making nearly as much as his father.
In 1943, Lou enlisted into the U.S. Army Air Corps where he trained to pilot the North American B-25 Mitchell, a twin-engine light bomber. He was honorably discharged in 1945 after the end of the Second World War. He finished his high school education, then attended The University of Rochester.
In 1950, Lou met Margaret Bennie Cullen of Massillon, OH, at a boarding house reunion in Rochester, New York. They married March 31, 1951. They ultimately raised a family, a daughter and two sons, in Atlanta, GA. In Atlanta Lou worked for Stallings, Inc. for over 20 years, serving as company president from 1978 until 1981. He ultimately retired from his own sales and consulting firm, Chester Technical Sales and relocated permanently to Big Canoe, GA. Margaret Chester passed away October 11, 1998. In 1999 Lou met Big Canoe resident Mary Jane Twells at a "singles" gathering, and they were married March 26, 2000.
Lou's favorite hobbies included woodworking, singing, (he and wife Margaret sang in the Atlanta Choral Guild, as well as the choirs of Clairmont Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and Big Canoe Chapel, Big Canoe, GA), sailing and the outdoors. He had a quick wit and a great sense of humor. He was a dedicated father, grandfather, husband and friend who lived a long and rewarding life and is now being rewarded in the afterlife.
Louis Montez Chester was preceded in death by his parents and sister, and his son, Louis Scott Chester. He is survived by his second wife, Mary Jane Chester; his daughter, Meg Calhoun; his son, Mark; his grandchildren, Ian Calhoun, Cassidy Chester, Ethan Chester; and his great-granddaughters, Riley and Parker Calhoun.
The family will hold a graveside memorial in the coming days and request that donations, in lieu of flowers, be sent to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), North GA Veterans, or Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Arrangements are entrusted to the Staff of Roper Funeral Home and Crematory.
View the obituary on Legacy.com
Funeral Home Information
Roper Funeral Home
206 Holly Street
Jasper, GA
30143
