William Kenneth Lester, 84, of Severna Park, died of pneumonia May 7 at Anne Arundel Medical Center after a brief illness.

Mr. Lester was born July 28, 1919, in Baltimore, where he graduated from Baltimore City College and was the school paper's sports editor. He also attended the Peabody Institute, where he studied voice.

He served in the Army during World War II.

Retired from the J.E. Smith Box Co. after 35 years as general manager, he also worked as a sportswriter for The Sun in the early 1940s and was a frequent contributor to the editorial page.

A thoroughbred racehorse owner, he raced his horses at Laurel and Pimlico racetracks for over two decades. He was known in racing circles for his 1997 novel "The Gemini Fraud."

His interests included singing during Mass at several Baltimore Catholic churches, cooking, opera, his horses, the Baltimore Colts and wintering in his Florida home.

Surviving are his wife of 62 years, Mary Reuding Lester; one son, William K. Lester Jr. of Harper, Texas; one daughter, Robin Lester Woodard of Stevensville; six grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. tomorrow at Barranco and Sons Severna Park Funeral Home, 495 Ritchie Highway. A funeral Mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Saint Alphonsus Catholic Church, 114 Saratoga St., Baltimore. Burial will be in Louden Park Cemetery, 3700 Wilkins Ave., Baltimore.

Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, can be made to the Christopher Reeves Paralysis Foundation, 500 Morris Ave., Springfield, NJ 07081.

Published in The Capital Newspaper, Annapolis, MD on May 9th, 2004