He was preceded in passing by his parents, Albert and Anne Novak.
Lester is survived by his loving wife, Vickie; four daughters, Wendy (Jim) Weidner, Wanda Novak, Carolyn Seymour, Catherine Novak; grandchildren, Nick S., Nathan, Stacy, and Michelle; brother, Thomas Novak; niece, Patty; nephews, Theodore and Timothy; and extended family and friends.
Lester had a large Umpire family. He headed the ISC Umpires Committee for more than 20 years, working with multiple umpires-in-chief to ensure the ISC consistently has the top officials each year for the ISC World Tournament, an event he attended annually for more than 40 straight years either as a working umpire or as a commissioner.
He started umpiring in 1957, when Les was sitting in the stands of a slow-pitch game, and the scheduled umpire was a “no- show.” Les was plucked from the stands to officiate the game… and a new career was launched!
Les was quickly attracted to fastpitch, enjoying the pace of the game and especially the speed of the pitchers. As Les honed his umping skills, he advanced through the ranks of the boys in blue, and served as Umpire-In-Chief for Minnesota in 1964, and continued in that role for many years to become the longest serving UiC In the United States.
His credits include officiating in 13 ISC World Tournaments, 10 ASA Nationals, 16 NCAA National Championships, three NCAA World Series and three ISF World Championships.
Memorable moments included his first US National Tournament in 1961, his first ISF Game in 1968, and working his first ISC Tourney in Kimberly, WI in 1984 and calling the plate in the Championship Game. He was inducted into the ISC Hall of Fame in 1999, the same year he became an ISC Commissioner. Les will be inducted into the USA Softball National Hall of Fame posthumously this fall.
Sharing his experience and skills, Les conducted clinics and trained young umpires not only in Minnesota, but internationally in Japan, Thailand, Korea, Philippines and New Zealand (twice). In total, Les umpired over 15,000 fastpitch games. In 2002, Les became a USA Softball certified umpire and entered the USA Softball National Indicator Fraternity (NIF) in 2014. Les was named the USA Softball of Minnesota Umpire of the Year in 2017.
In recent years, Les supported the ISC and promotion of youth in our sport as a driving force behind the creation and ongoing activity of the Carrol Forbes Lifetime Membership Foundation, which provides funding for youth clinics and other opportunities to bring young players into our game. He helped train and mentor generations of umpires while maintaining the highest standards of officiating.
At the ISC Board of Directors meetings, Les was the resident expert in Roberts Rules of Order and provided advice and guidance to board members on meeting etiquette and propriety. In the late 1990s, with controversy in the air due to the inconsistencies in the pitching rule, Les re-wrote the rule that ultimately would be adopted globally. Les served as the ISC Assistant UIC beginning in 1998 and an ISC Commissioner in 1999, holding those positions through present day.
Les dedicated nearly seven decades to the sport of softball as one of the game’s most respected and experienced umpires. He will be deeply missed by all who know him.
Join us to celebrate Les' life on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at St. Joseph Catholic Community - Historic Little Church, 13015 Rockford Road in Plymouth, Minnesota. Visitation at 10 am, Memorial Mass of Christian Burial at 11 am, and luncheon to follow at 12:30 pm at Kapala Glodek Malone Funeral Home, 7800 Bass Lake Rd, New Hope.
