lit a candle 22d agoMy uncle rang me from Nairobi to tell me about this, we had just been talking about Korean War veterans the week before. 94 years old and still remembered for his guitar playing with the Gamblers decades on, that kind of staying power gets me every time.
Their story
Leslie Lawrence Hughes, known to family and friends as Les, was a Korean War veteran and lifelong Minnesota musician who died on September 27, 2026, at the age of 94. He was born on August 21, 1932, in Monticello, Minnesota, to Ruby Goodman and Lawrence Hughes, and was raised on…
Leslie Lawrence Hughes, known to family and friends as Les, was a Korean War veteran and lifelong Minnesota musician who died on September 27, 2026, at the age of 94. He was born on August 21, 1932, in Monticello, Minnesota, to Ruby Goodman and Lawrence Hughes, and was raised on his grandparents' farm in the same town, graduating from Monticello High School in 1951.
Hughes was drafted into the United States Army at age 18 and served during the Korean War, a formative chapter that he carried with him for the rest of his life. After his military service, he returned to Minnesota, where he built a reputation as a hardworking and versatile man known for his strong work ethic and his willingness to stay busy throughout his working life.
Outside of work, Hughes was known above all for his love of music. A talented guitar player, he spent decades performing on the side with Les Hughes and the Gamblers and with several other bands, a pursuit that brought him lasting friendships and cherished memories within his community. For those who knew him in Monticello and later in the Pleasant Lake and Rockville area, his music was as much a part of his identity as his wartime service.
Hughes's personal life spanned three marriages. He married Shirley Saatzer in 1958, a union that ended in divorce. He then married Cheri Nylen in 1969, who died in 1975. In 1980 he married Cheryl Medek, and the two shared 46 years together until his death. He was remembered by those closest to him as a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather who built a large extended family over the course of his life.
Hughes died peacefully on September 27, 2026, at his home in the Pleasant Lake area of Rockville, Minnesota. No cause of death was given in the notices released by his family or funeral home. News of his death was shared through his obituary, distributed by Miller-Carlin Funeral Home in Saint Cloud, and reported locally by outlets including KDHL Radio, which noted his roots in Monticello and his long residence in Rockville.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by KDHL Radio.
