Lester John Holtschlag, age 87, of the Illinois Veteran’s Home died on Sunday, June 16, 2013 in the home. Lester was born February 2, 1926 in Quincy, a son of Lawrence and Margaret Ann (Karch) Holtschlag.

Lester worked at Johns Hopkins University for 29 years beginning as a researcher. Lester later established and served as editor of a journal on combustion at the university.

Lester was a graduate of Quincy High School, a 1948 graduate of Quincy College and attended the University of Illinois studying for his Masters degree before being drafted by the U.S. Army.

He served for nine years, working in Intelligence in an extraordinary career that brought him face-to-face with Soviet military officers and spies during the Cold War. He was a skilled linguist, fluent in German, French and Russian. His ability with these languages allowed him to converse with Soviet and German counterparts in Europe, creating a rapport that enabled him to get information and gain insight into the government espionage networks of other cultures.

Following his third re-enlistment, in 1956, during the Hungarian Revolt he ran a refugee camp for the State Department west of Nuremburg which housed over 220,000 refugees that escaped after the revolt.

He traveled extensively, and took a year’s sabbatical from Johns Hopkins to research the Holtschlag family. He authored a book on his family’s genealogy, tracing their history as far back as the 16th century. Lester gave talks locally about genealogy, and he did extensive translating from German to English for the Great River Genealogical Society and the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County. He was also instrumental in translating an important book about Catholic history during Quincy’s first 50 years.

Survivors include his brother, Donald E. Holtschlag of Quincy;
Nieces and nephews including Donna Druffel and her husband Michael of Wells, MN; Vicky Holtschlag of St. Louis, MO; Danny Sippel, Sheila Wells, Barbara Moser, Weldon Sippel and numerous great and great-great nieces and nephews also survive.

Lester was preceded in death by his parents, a brother Lawrence Holtschlag in infancy and a sister, Lucille Sippel.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, June 21, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. in Blessed Sacrament Church. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation is Friday from 12 noon until 1:00 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament. Memorials are suggested to the Quincy University Endowment Fund. Arrangements are with the Duker & Haugh Funeral Home.

www.dukerandhaugh.com