Daryl L. Lessard

Daryl Louis Lessard, 60, longtime resident of Mt. Pleasant died peacefully Tuesday, August 12 at home with his family by his side. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1 p.m. Sunday, August 17, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Robert Byrne officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Friends may call at Lux Funeral Home on Friday from 2-4 and 6-9 p.m. with a vigil service beginning at 7 p.m. Visitation continues at the church on Sunday from 12-1 p.m. There is no visitation on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial contributions be made in Daryls name to Hospice of Central Michigan or to the Daryl L. Lessard Scholarship. The Michigan Hotel/Motel and Resort Association established this fund to provide scholarship opportunities for college students in hospitality programs throughout Michigan. Scholarship donations should be made payable to the MHMRA Educational Foundation designating the Daryl L. Lessard Scholarship. Daryl was born November 14,1942 to Louis and Velma (Seaman) Lessard in Bellaire, Michigan and married Janice Marie Brehm of Mt. Pleasant on December 19, 1970. Always interested in tourism and outdoor recreation, Daryl enjoyed hunting, bird watching, sailing, and distance running. He was a certified Dive Master and enjoyed scuba diving and exploring shipwrecks in both Northern Michigan waters and the ocean climes of the Caribbean and Central America. He earned bachelors (Teacher Education) and masters degrees (Parks and Recreation) from Central Michigan University. He became a certified Hotel Administrator early in his career and more recently a certified Real Estate Agent specializing in hotel properties. Daryl spent over 30 years in the field of Hotel and Restaurant Management serving as the General Manager (Innkeeper) of the Mt. Pleasant Holiday Inn (1973-1993) and owner and manager for the Rodeway Inn in St Ignace, Michigan (1993-2003). Daryl was an active state and local leader in the Michigan hospitality industry. He served as Chair of the Michigan Travel and Tourism Association, a member of the board of the Michigan Hotel/Motel and Resort Association (MHMRA)and is Past Chair of the Mt. Pleasant Convention and Visitors Bureau and East Downtown Development Authority. He earned numerous awards and recognition for achievement over his career including Distinguished Service and Presidents Award from the Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce, outstanding achievement through Holiday Inn Worldwide and was recognized for operating a top-three Rodeway Inn in the nation. Daryl honorably served in the United States Navy (1959-1963) where he was stationed as a Torpedo Specialist in Rota Spain, servicing nuclear submarines. During his military services duty, he was a member of the U. S. Navy track team and competed in several track meets throughout Europe. Daryl is survived by his wife, Janice (Brehm) Lessard of Mt. Pleasant; two daughters, Rachel Lessard-Trost of Mt. Pleasant and Caryla Lessard of Ann Arbor; granddaughter, Ashley Trost; his father, Louis Lessard of Bellaire; one sister, Marlene (Terry) Caszatt of Alden; and two brothers, Joseph (Kathleen) Lessard of Mason and Karyl Lessard of Rockford. He is also survived by his father-in-law William (Joyce) Brehm of Mt. Pleasant; sister-in-law Barbara (Gary) Grewe of Shepherd; brothers-in-law, John (Jody) Brehm of Mt. Pleasant, Michael (Deborah) Brehm of Mt. Pleasant, William (Amy) Brehm of Okemos, and Thomas (Rebecca) Brehm of Commerce Park; and many adoring cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, Velma; and his mother-in-law, Clarice Brehm. The family wishes to thank Hospice of Central Michigan for the compassion and care that they provided to Daryl and his family.