James Lester

James T. Lester, 77, of Colonial Heights, VA, beloved husband of the late Elsa Lester, and beloved father of Greg Lester, passed away Tuesday, November 23, 2010. He is the son of the late Rogers and Dora Lester, Livonia, Michigan. Born August 31, 1933, in Detroit, Michigan, he lived most of his early life in Livonia, Michigan. He attended Alma College in the Religious Studies and Music departments before serving in the U.S. Army in the Philippines 1954-1955. He returned to Michigan and then moved to Los Angeles, California, where he studied at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, now California Institute of the Arts, where he obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Composition. He also studied privately with various musicians including Gregory Stone and Earle Voorhies. He taught students privately in the 1960â??s, joined the staff of Brentwood Military Academy for five years, and was a music engraver for 10 to 15 years for A&M Music, Yamaha, Maranatha! Music, and many others. He was both a composer and arranger with ASCAP membership obtained in 1967. He founded JTL Publications and G. Scott Music Publishing in 1969, which still exist today. When he and Elsa moved from Los Angeles to Richmond, VA in 1988, he soon began an interest, which moved to employment at the U.S. National Park Service, Petersburg National Battlefield, where he was an Interpretive Park Ranger, for the most part, at City Point Unit in Hopewell, VA, for 14 years. He will always be remembered as a loving husband to Elsa and loving father to Greg. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 from 6 PM to 8 PM at the Chester chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home, 3050 W. Hundred Road, Chester, VA. Funeral services will be held at 11 AM on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 in the funeral home chapel, with interment to follow at Sunset Memorial Park, 2901 West Hundred Road. Condolences to the family may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com