Lester Bracken was born August 12, 1927, on a 40-acre farm just outside Effingham, Illinois. Quite a different world than we live in today. A world of horses, buggies, wagons, a water well with a pulley and bucket, outhouses with sears catalogues, and kerosene lamps. A world of one new pair of shoes a year, growing and raising most everything the family consumed, and bartering for what they didn’t.  When great pride was earned from an 8th grade education which at that time was quite an accomplishment. He always said his family didn’t really feel the depression as many did as their life didn’t change much. They were self-sufficient.

This is why Lester Bracken was a true American self-made man. He took this independent and devout Christian upbringing and applied its principles to everything he did. His thirst for knowledge and intense work ethic throughout his entire life gained him many degrees that were far more useful than most college degrees. His whole family was gifted with arts, crafts and invention abilities including making instruments, pottery, paintings, sculpture and all kinds and music.

Before he was drafted into the Army in 1945, besides farming he worked in the shoe heel factory and carpentry. After gaining many skills in the Army he was honorably discharged and Lester married his first and only sweetheart on this day, June 13th, 1948. He then went to watchmaking school on the GI Bill, had their daughter Brenda Sue in 1949 and opened their first Jewelry store after 1950 in Effingham.

For the rest of his working life, he went back and forth between heavy construction work and the jewelry and watch trade.

In Decatur, being construction foreman for companies like JL Simmons and AF Krawl, as well as building Best Brand prefab and many custom homes for individuals mostly by himself or running crews. They had me, Todd Dale, in 1959. Lester did watchmaking intermittently and in 1968 restarted Bracken Jewelers and operated a successful 12 years.

In Los Angeles he was a union Carpenter working large commercial building projects or working in Jewelry stores including helping Todd build up his Santa Monica Jewelry business. Lester and Darlene enjoyed LA life for 12 years.

After “retirement” in 1994 he moved north where he spent the last 29 years playing in his gold mine sand box, mining, inventing, gardening, and exploring his own claim on life. He was also instrumental in helping get the French Corral Mine running with Todd and gained many friends in the community over the years. Lester and wife Darlene were able to celebrate over 72 years of marriage before she passed, living every day of their lives praising and worshiping the Lord, studying his word, praying for guidance, and then receiving it. We feel humbled and truly blessed to have had such a great father and mother. Even after he had passed, he was still putting out his witness message. On beginning to clean out his apartment, we found he and mom’s daily bible study guide with which they read one together most early mornings of their married life. The book was closed but the silk marker was on Monday, May 22, the day he passed. The scriptures for the day were profound -1 Peter 5:6 and John 14:6.

The celebration of Lester’s life will be held on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Hooper and Weaver Mortuary in Nevada City. A visitation will be at 10:30 a.m. with the service to follow at 11:00. The burial will be immediately after the service.