Standardbred horseman Lester Tourville, 87, of Hamburg, N.Y., passed away on Saturday, January 12 at Hospice Buffalo.
Tourville was born on August 28, 1931, to the late Eugene and Lucy (Nichols) Tourville in Ellenburg, N.Y. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War in 1952.
He was a driver and trainer at Buffalo Raceway and Batavia Downs until he retired in 2004.
In the early 1980s, Tourville worked for the Mar Con Farms and trained their top open pacer Mar Con Cash p,4,1:59.4q ($151,554). Later he trained and drove for the powerful Theodora Brown and Sportacular stables. Some of their top trotters he conditioned included Fly Rod 4,2:00.2h ($133,775) and Noble Grant 2:01.3q ($107,497).
Prior to starting his career in the horse business, he was a milkman and delivered to homes in the Rochester area in the 1960s.
He is survived by his longtime companion of 39 years, Shirley Mitchell; his children, Fr. David, Dennis, Deborah, Diane, Donna (Fred) Kabel, Darlene (Dan) Bailey, Jeremy (KC) and Sarah; 14 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Raymond Lagasse, Leo, Earl, Carl, and Norman; sisters, Evangeline Whalen, Leona Dupuis, Jeannette Van Slyke, Doritha Fisher and Ada Zangari; and Mildred, the mother of his six older children.
Calling hours will be on Tuesday (Jan. 15) from 4-7 p.m. with a service to follow at 7 p.m. at the John J. Kaczor Funeral Home, Hamburg Chapel, 5453 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg, NY 14075. A memorial mass will be celebrated by Fr. David Tourville, his son, on Wednesday (Jan. 16) at 10 a.m. at The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Olean, N.Y. (https://smaolean.org/).
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice Foundation of WNY.
Please share memories and condolences at www.kaczorfunerals.com.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Lester Tourville.
(USTA)