Louis Lester Eames Jr

Louis Lester Eames, Jr. was born August 30, 1942 to the late Marguerite M. Eames and Louis L. Eames, Sr. He was baptized at Mt. Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He passed away on the morning of July 13, 2023, at the age of 80. Lester, as he was affectionately known, resided most of his adult life in New Orleans, Louisiana with his loving wife of 52 years, Leila Jacobs Eames. As the oldest of six children, Lester was the first of each of his siblings to attend Southern University Laboratory School. He matriculated there from nursery through high school and became a competitive tennis player. After graduating in 1960, he remained on campus and attended Southern University A&M College, where he pledged Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. He graduated from Southern University in 1964 with a degree in accounting and was drafted into the Army. While in the Army, he was stationed in Germany and worked as an accountant over payroll. He received the National Defense Service Medal and earned sharpshooter M-14 qualification. Lester was Honorably Discharged in 1969. After serving in the Army, Lester continued to work for the U.S. Government as a contractor performing internal audits in Kansas City for a short time, then he took a position at Exxon Company U.S.A. in 1970 as an accountant. He went on to attain an MBA from Loyola University. In 1970, Lester married Leila, and two children were born of their union: Endya Eames Delpit and Brandon Eames. Lester retired from Exxon after more than 25 years of service, and started his own real estate investment business, Eames Enterprises, Inc. He was a successful businessman and entrepreneur for over two decades and handed the day-to-day operations over to his son, Brandon. Lester was an avid hunter, fisherman and photographer. He also enjoyed travelling and spending time with his family. Lester is survived by his wife, Leila J. Eames; children, Endya E. Delpit and Brandon Eames, daughter-in-law, Brandy Eames; five grandchildren who called him “Papa”: Grant and Grace Delpit, Marcellus Tenette, Chase and Brandyn Eames; his sister, Nedra Lemons; two brothers, Marvin E., and Jaron K. Eames; a sister-in-law, Jacqueline Harris and brother-in-law, Smitty; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends. Lester is pre-deceased in death by his parents (Marguerite and Louis L. Eames, Sr.), brothers (Carl and Kirk Eames), sisters-in-law (Rita J. Eames and Lois Crawford), and brothers-in-Law (Kemper Jacobs, Lawrence Jacobs, and Alvin Lemons, Jr.) Funeral services at Rhodes Chapel, 3933 Washington Ave. New Orleans, La. 70125 on Monday, July 17, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. The viewing will begin at 12:00 p.m. Interment at Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. New Orleans, La. 70124. Arrangements by Rhodes Funeral Home, New Orleans, LA. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to sign the guestbook.