Bending the Arc

Sophia Walker, aka Lisle Lester, was a one-time resident of Fond du Lac and world-famous dramatist.  She created the first magazine in Wisconsin, The Badger State Monthly, and was acclaimed for her stage performances. She hired the first women typesetters in Wisconsin, when working at the Milwaukee Sentinel. Her life story was one of constant support of women’s issues. She died in New York City, and her life ended with the final indignity of having her cremains go unclaimed for 138 years.  

For 138 years, the cremains of Lisle Lester have been sitting on a shelf in a New York mortuary, unclaimed. When her life was featured by Soroptimist International of Fond du Lac, for their Women’s History Luncheon in 2024, the group decided to bring her home. Little did that organization know how much time and fees and red tape would be needed to bring back those cremains to Fond du Lac. 

After fundraising to acquire the legal means to do so, Soroptimist International of Fond du Lac petitioned a Queens, New York court for Ms. Lester's cremated remains to be moved to the custody of Calvary Cemetery. The petition was granted and Ms. Lester will be laid to rest in Fond du Lac on October 17, 2026, at 10 am at Calvary Cemetery. The public is invited to attend. 

Soroptimist's final goal is to gather funds for a monument stone to honor her life. Please consider donating at https://givebutter.com/lisle-lester-memorial-stone-fund-laikww 

This story was also featured on Green Bay local news: https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/lisle-lester-returns-fond-du-lac/