Carl A. Hester

Carl Augustus Hester, 82, was born on August 15,1943 in Queens, New York. He was the only son born to Ralph Augustus Hester and Elene White. He was a devoted husband to Daphne Hester and a loving father to Ralph, Lanette, Rene preceded in death, Shawnee, and Deidra.
Carl loved his family and learned at an early age how important a career was to support a family. His first career was delivering newspapers as a kid. He needed some type of transportation for his work, so he made his version of a sports car to collect and deliver his newspapers. Of course, as he aged, he went on to bigger and better endeavors such as Husband, Dad, Grandpa, conscientious worker, and just a wonderful guy.
Carl always enjoyed visiting his grandparents. His grandmother made fried chicken every Sunday and she made it clear that no one gets the breast of the chicken because that's the only piece Carl would eat. (And that rule has never changed.)
After his father's passing his mother relocated him and his two sisters to California. It was there that Carl graduated from Dorsey High School and later graduated from Los Angeles City College, and he married his high school sweetheart. He worked hard to support his family – many times working two jobs while attending college; and served as a youth leader in the church. He was employed by Systems Development Corporation as a draftsman and any fast-food eatery he could work for.
His marriage ended in divorce and three years later he met and married his wife, Daphne Duke. He always said she brought him God's blessings. After a large layoff at SDC, Carl started a new career in Real Estate with the US Government (Army Corp of Engineers, US Postal Service, & GSA). His greatest career achievement was becoming Chief of Management & Disposal.
After retiring he continued to stay busy. He completed one year of college at Cal State University, Dominguez Hills. After which he returned to the real estate work force and was employed by the Los Angeles Unified School District; and the Port of Los Angeles.
Then came Carl's final retirement. He and Daphne babysat their last grandbaby, Saeedah. It appeared she was babysitting him. His favorite pastime was walking on the beach and babysitting. He always had a passion for cars and golf.
After so much time passed, Carl and Daphne moved to a beautiful retirement community in Beaumont, California. Carl always said he was born again in 1964 but not until 2006 he truly realized what Jesus had done for him. He became very active in the church and served as Elder, Secretary of Board of Directors, Trustee, and Leader of Lutheran Braille Workers Work Center 152.
Carl departed this life on September 23, 2025. He is survived by his loving wife, Daphne Hester. His sisters, Carol Jeffery, Susan Collins, preceded him in death. His children, Ralph Hester (Aisha), Lanette Miles (Preston), Shawnee Muhammad, Deirdra Prewitt, Rene Hester (Toni), preceded him in death. His sister-in-law, Anice Mason. His grandchildren, Charles, Taylor, Taj, Salima, Saeedah, and Kaliyah, preceded him in death. Host of niece and nephews, Eric, Kevin (Toi), Lisa, Vincent Jeffery, Barren Denard, Jermaine Collins, preceded him in death. Camille Simmons (Joe), Charles Weaver III, Charles Mason. Caregiver, Isabelle Gonzalez and thank you to Serenity Hospice. To send flowers to the family of Carl, please visit our floral store.