Lester McGohan

Lester Nelson McGohan, 98, of Mt. Pleasant, IA, died Monday, June 30, 2008, at Park Place Long Term Care Unit. Visitation will begin at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 2, 2008, at the Olson - Powell Memorial Chapel, where the family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Wednesday evening. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, July 3, 2008 at the First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Herb Shafer officiating. A private burial will be held prior to the service. Memorials have been established to Great River Hospice or Hillcrest Family Services which serves the needs of families in Iowa and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Born March 6, 1910 in Henry County, Les was the son of Charles and Eva Dodds McGohan. He was a 1927 graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School. On February 26, 1939, he married Gladys Lucile Gillaspey in Kahoka, MO. She survives. Les was a lifelong farmer in Henry County and began farming with his brother, Cecil, on the McGohan home place east of Mt. Pleasant. In 1943, he and his wife moved to the Gillaspey farm, west of Swedesburg, where he continued to farm until his retirement. His son, Bill, joined him in farming in 1963. His grandson, Jeff, joined the business as Les eased into retirement. Les remained active with spring and fall fieldwork until the age of 90. During his farm career Les received many awards, including the Iowa Master Swine Producer in 1954, Iowa Master Farmer in 1964, and Henry County Cattleman of the Year in 1996. Throughout his life Les was an active community volunteer. He served on the boards of several cooperatives, both locally and regionally. He was on the board of Farmland Industries in Kansas City. Les provided leadership for the committee that merged Wayland, Crawfordsville, and Olds into the WACO School District. Les was an active member of Finley Chapel west of their farm until he and Gladys moved to Mt. Pleasant in 1988. Since that time he has been a member of the First United Methodist Church. Les enjoyed traveling to many countries around the world. He particularly liked it when the trips were focused on farming practices in other countries. In his younger years he liked to go dancing to the Big Bands. Throughout his life he played cards with family and friends. In the last few years, he added Free Cell on the computer to his list of activities. In his retirement Les became very active as a Mt. Pleasant volunteer for various organizations, including the Henry County Health Center and RSVP, as well as being a regular walker at the Rec Center. Along with his wife, Gladys, Les is survived by one son, Bill (Linda) McGohan of Mt. Pleasant, IA; one daughter, Betty (Dick) Winga of Clear Lake, IA; four grandchildren, Jeff (Nancy) McGohan of Mt. Pleasant, IA, Marci (Roberto) Fabrega of Minneapolis, MN, Justin (Betsy) Winga of Manitowoc, WI, and Greg (LaDonna) McGohan of Rochester, MN: seven great-grandchildren, Ethan and Elijah McGohan of Mt. Pleasant, IA, Emelia Fabrega of Minneapolis, MN, Max and Zach Winga of Manitowoc, WI, and Lily and Alex McGohan of Rochester, MN; and one sister, Nona Jane Olson of Mt. Pleasant, as well as several nieces and nephews. Les was preceded in death by a stillborn son; his parents; two brothers, Cecil McGohan and a stillborn infant; and four sisters, Fern Oldham, Verda Grindon, Ruby Bump, and Alice McGohan who died at nine months of age.