Lester Eugene Hay 7/1/1956 – 6/14/2026

Born to Phil and Lila Hay in Ephrata WA July 1, 1956. Lester passed suddenly, June 14, 2026, at the ranch in Springdale WA he called home since 1982.

His high school sweetheart and wife of 39 years, Karen, was by his side. An entrepreneur with a love for farming and ranching Lester moved his family to the ranch where he and Karen raised their children alongside a herd of cattle. He started several companies, collected real estate like it was candy and never met a deal he didn’t love. His son William carries on the farming and ranching; using the same brand. His daughter Jessica carries on the entrepreneurial spirit with her family’s businesses.

Lester graduated from Hermiston High School in 1975; he could still recite the FFA creed from memory and lived the glory days of football playing rivals Pendleton. Lester’s love of neon orange T-shirts was legendary, sparking viral videos online and creating a signature color for the whole family. His dry sense of humor was hard to catch but if he liked you enough to share a joke with you then you were one of the chosen ones. He didn’t like many people, or really any large groups of people, preferring the quiet rocking chair on the front porch.

A busy day for him in retirement meant a parts run to town and visits from his grandsons (Marcus and Branson) to get snacks. He was always the one to try to diagnose a vehicle based on the sound it made, had 15 plans for any scenario you might come across, and the exact size box you might ever need tucked in amongst his treasures. Lester was a collector of all things, and a master at squirreling it away in the top of the barn to the right.

The ranch cat Pedro isn’t sure where his buddy is, Lester’s empty chair leaves a big hole in the family. He’s survived by his wife Karen, son William Hay and Bailey, daughter Jessica and CJ Garza, grandson’s Marcus and Branson Garza, his sisters Linda (Dean) Weber and Janice Parkin, his brothers David Hay and Randall Hay.

A memorial service will be held at the ranch on July 11th at 11 a.m. All attending are invited to wear farm safety orange in his honor.