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From: "Bob & Elaine McDowell" <>
Subject: [RUS-SARATOV-FRANK] obit: Adolph Lesser
Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:06:46 -0600

Greeley Tribune

Greeley, Colorado

01-12-2008



Adolph Lesser

June 21, 1915-Jan. 6, 2008

Age: 92

Residence: Greeley

Tribute: Adolph John Lesser was born in Loveland to John D. and Anna M.
(Bath) Lesser and was the second youngest of eight sons and one daughter.
His parents were Volga Germans who immigrated to the United States in 1913
from Frank, Russia.

Music was always present in the Lesser household, and frequently, Adolph
would tag along with his two older brothers, who had been musicians in
Russia. He bought his first piano accordion for $200 during the Depression.
He eventually was able to afford to take the bus to Denver every week to
take lessons from Tony Ferraro, who later became an NBC Radio studio artist.
He also studied with Alfred Antonio Sr., who came to Loveland every week to
teach.

At age 15, Mr. Lesser started his own band and within a year had an
organized band that played on KFKA Radio in Greeley at 6:30 every morning.
The radio show offered great exposure for him and the band, and they
traveled extensively throughout Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska playing for
weddings, proms, county fairs and barn dances.

On Dec. 12, 1941, he married Cecilia Stratman in Kimball, Neb., and left for
the Army on Jan. 7, 1942, exactly one month after the bombing of Pearl
Harbor.

Initially stationed in California, Mr. Lesser entertained his fellow
servicemen and also played in nightclubs with local West Coast groups. He
was then deployed to the European Theater with the 35th Division until the
war ended. He earned five battle stars including the Invasion of Normandy
and the Battle of the Bulge. The Queen Mary, now permanently docked in Long
Beach, Calif., provided transportation home from Europe, and Mr. Lesser
played with a western band for two shows a day on the ship.

In 1945, home from the service for only two weeks, Mr. Lesser played six
weddings for six nights in a row. The demand for Dutch Hop music was so
great after the war that he and his friend, Bill Schmidt, opened the Garden
City Ballroom near Greeley. The ballroom was a great success and offered big
band and western dances during the week, polka dances on Saturday nights,
and was usually reserved for weddings on Sundays.

In 1950, Columbia Records put the Lesser band under contract. Mr. Lesser had
a booking agent and his recordings were heard on major networks throughout
the United States. After six successful years with the Garden City Ballroom,
he and his friend sold the ballroom, and Mr. Lesser built a music store on
South 8th Avenue in Greeley. Lesser Music was the cornerstone for young
people from around northern Colorado who wanted to study the accordion. When
the rock and roll craze hit, Mr. Lesser added guitar teachers and had a
successful business selling guitars and amplifiers as well as accordions.

Mr. Lesser received many honors throughout his musical career. He was
inducted into the Colorado Polka Hall of Fame as the first living member in
1976. He was honored with the European-American Music Award for his lifetime
achievements at the Grand Polka Festival in Las Vegas, Nev., in September
1999. He was inducted into the International Polka Hall of Fame in Chicago
in August 2001 and also was inducted into the World of Music Hall of Fame in
Las Vegas on Sept. 11, 2001.

Mr. Lesser's career as a musician and entertainer spanned some 65 years
before his stroke in 1996, but he remained one of the most prominent music
figures in the Rocky Mountain region and is affectionately known as "The Old
Master."

While the highlights of his career have been many, Mr. Lesser's fondest
memories would have to include all of the people he met, the many friends he
made, as well as the many talented musicians with whom he has worked and
shared the stage throughout the many years. He also enjoyed the
companionship of his beloved dachshund, Willie.

Mr. Lesser died Jan. 6 at the Hospice and Palliative Care of Northern
Colorado inpatient unit, Greeley.

Survivors: His daughter, Cyndi Babish of Denver; two sisters-in-law, Lydia
Lesser of Loveland and Esther Lesser of Caldwell, Idaho; and many nieces and
nephews.

Preceded in death by: His wife, Cecilia, and his son-in-law, Tony Babish;
his parents; seven brothers, John, Conrad "Coonie," Fred, Henry, George,
Jake and Dave; and a sister, Annie Frank.

Celebration of life: 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Our Savior's Lutheran Church,
Greeley.

Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens, Greeley.

Note: Memorial gifts may be made to the 35th Division Museum Fund in care of
Adamson Funeral and Cremation Services, 2000 47th Ave., Greeley, CO 80634.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.adamsonchapels.com.

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• [RUS-SARATOV-FRANK] obit: Adolph Lesser by "Bob & Elaine McDowell" <>