WILLMAR — A longtime Willmar mayor, Lester “Les” J. Heitke, died Saturday, May 24, at Bethesda Grand in Willmar. He was 76.
His Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Church of St. Mary in Willmar. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar and one hour before the service at the church. A livestream link will be available from the funeral home website at www.hafh.org. Burial will be at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Willmar.
Heitke was first elected to the Willmar City Council in 1988, serving for six years. In 1994, he was elected as Willmar’s mayor, a role he held until 2010. During his tenure, Willmar earned the designation as an All-America City in 2005, according to his obituary. He also played a role in establishing the sister-city relationship with Frameries, Belgium.
He was active with multiple community boards in the Willmar area, including the Bethesda Foundation, Rice Memorial Hospital and the United Way of West Central Minnesota, according to his obituary.
He also served the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission, now known as Kandiyohi County Economic Development. He had become its operations board president this year.
Heitke’s leadership positions statewide and nationally included serving as president of the League of Minnesota Cities, vice president of the National League of Cities and president of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities.
Heitke is survived by his wife, Cherie Heitke of Willmar; sons: Adam (Sarah) Heitke of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Mark (Sam) Heitke of Minneapolis; and grandchildren: Alexa (fiancé Michael), Claire, Noah, Maximos, Walt and Graham. He is also survived by his siblings: Beverly Heitke and Louis (Tia) Heitke; along with many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Irmina Heitke, and siblings: Norma Jean Borman and Father Lawrence Heitke.
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