Ray Lesseski

Pastor Raymond “Munch” Lesseski, 80, of Sarver went home to be with the Lord on Friday at Butler Memorial Hospital.

Born April 12, 1931, in Sarver, he was the son of the late Anthony and Mary (Suhan) Lesseski.

He was a corporal in the U.S. Army and served as a tank commander during the Korean War. He retired from MSA, Evans City, in 1992, after 25 years of service.

Pastor Lesseski was a pastor for more than 35 years. He was the founder and pastor of the Sun Mine Baptist Church for nine years, starting in 1975. He then served as an interim pastor for several other churches before founding the Bethel Bible Baptist Church in 1997 in Worthington, where he pastored until he retired in November 2011. He remained as pastor emeritus. Pastor Lesseski was certified to preach the Gospel from the First Baptist Church of Howland, Warren, Ohio.

He enjoyed spending time with his family, which was very important to him. He was a loving father, grandfather and great- grandfather. His passion in life was serving the Lord. His life verse being “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain,” Philippians 1:21.

Surviving is his loving wife of 57½ years, Melda E. (Kemery) Lesseski; his three children, Cynthia Rae Lesseski Wilson (Ronald) of Cabot, James Anthony (Rhonda Fuehrer) of Sarver and Daniel Wayne (Christina Morris) of Sharpsburg, Ga.; 10 grandchildren, Matthew (Jamie) Wilson, Ronald George (Heather) Wilson, Rebecca (Dean) Paulsen, Jennifer (John) Gaito, Mark Wilson, Daniel James Wilson, Jessica (Mathew) Uptegrove, Stacy (Dan) Corace, Aaron Lesseski and Caleb Lesseski; 13 great-grandchildren, Owen, Gavin, Ellie, Autumn, Noah, Evelyn, Logan, Chase, Tylor, Drake, Alina, Zachary and Aiden; one sister, Rosemary (Allen) Reid of Sarver; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Andrew and Charles.

<B>LESSESKI</B> — Friends of Pastor Raymond “Munch” Lesseski, who passed away Friday, March 23, 2012, will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. today at <B>Fox Funeral Home</B>, 410 W. Main St., Saxonburg.Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home with Dr. Robert Lescelius of Senoia, Ga., Dr. William Finnigan of Warren, Ohio, and Pastor Nathan Bramlet, pastor of the Bethel Bible Baptist Church, officiating. Interment with military honors will follow in Oak Grove Cemetery, Sarver.Memorial donations may be made to the Bethel Bible Baptist Church, P.O. Box 910, Worthington, PA 16262.Information also is available at www.foxfuneralhomeinc.com.