Lee Chester Echols

On August 3, 1936, Lee Chester Echols arrived into this great world in Montgomery, AL! His parents, the late Judge Denson and Annie (Rivers) Echols, were both pleased the eight of ten children was now born.
“Chester,” as he was affectionately called, would later join the rest of his family that had already begun migrating to Detroit, MI for work and advancement in life.

The family settled into the Northend of Detroit on Greely Street. This location and environment would continue to shape Chester’s values throughout his life. Out that backdoor on Greely, and a few houses south on the next block behind the family home was Russell Street Missionary Baptist Church, the family church. He later joined and was baptized by the late Reverend Anthony Campbell, Sr. In fact, he was a member of Russell Street Missionary Baptist Church when he passed.

Chester was educated in the Detroit Public School System (DPS) attending Moore Elementary (1949), Sherrard Intermediate (1952), and Northern High School (1955). He enlisted in the US Army and after serving two years was Honorably Discharged in 1961. He would later complete his Associates Degree at Wayne County Community College in 1974.

Chester and Bernice Cheatem were introduced to each other by Harold Echols, Chester’s younger brother. The two fell in love and were married on December 26, 1959. They settled into a house on Quincy Street in Detroit and started a family. They shared a vision of building a strong family rooted in love, a strong work ethic with Christ as the center. The family would ultimately result in six children.
Chester went to work holding several jobs throughout his lifetime:
Isaac’s Market, Faygo Beverage Company, Baker’s Market, Jack Gell
and Company, US Army and General Motors (Chevrolet). After
twenty-eight years he retired as a Safety Coordinator from GM.
Ironically, the GM plant he retired from literally was a stone’s through from his childhood home on Greely. Due to those strong work ethics, he returned to the work force again at Home Depot and later at Focus Hope where he retired a second time in 1999 after serving there for seven years.

Four F’s that anchored Chester’s life:

Food & Fellowship - Music was a staple in Chester’s life. From Doo-Whopping with some of his friends that would later become the Four Tops to singing in the Male Chorus, his deep baritone voice could be heard by all. Did someone say food!? Yes, he liked to cook but he loved to eat with family and friends. Any occasion that brought him together with his loved ones filled him with joy: from eating, to singing, dancing or simply just being together.

Faith - His faith in Christ served as his bedrock. While raising his family they attended Christ Lutheran Church. Like Greely, this church was out the back door of Pingree Street, a few houses west on the next block. He later returned back to Russel Street Missionary Baptist Church where Chester served on the Deacon Board, the Male Chorus, and the Male Usher Board.

Family – He loved his family & his family loved him. Whether united biologically, through marriage, or whether he took a liking to you and “adopted” you as his own, he loved many and was loved by many. He drew energy from his family, enjoyed being with family and never once took for granted that his family enjoyed hanging out with him.

Chester’s health declined late in life. He was diagnosed and survived two separate occurrences of cancer, colon and prostate. He underwent dialysis treatments three times a week for eight years due to decreased renal function. He passed away early and quietly on April 26, 2020 following an extending hospital stay reuniting with his wife Bernice, parents Judge Denson and Annie and his siblings; Mary, Denson, Frank, Thelma, Elizabeth, Elmira, Sylvester, Harold and Alvin.

Chester leaves to celebrate and commemorate his life; children - Wayne, Jacqueline (Charlie) Randle, Marc, Lester (Patricia), Keith (Weslia) and Kelli (Jamal) Turner; grandchildren – Mondrea (Doniel) Calvin, Wayne Jr., Marcel, Simone, Cherelle, Charlie II, Marquise, Ciara, Delaney
(Michael) Hawkins, Erika, Kyndall, Kynadi, Jamal Jr., Jalen and Jayla; great grandchildren – Chayse, Christian, Charlotte, Charlie and Imani; a host of nieces, nephews and close friends.