Lauren Lesmeister

Lauren Lesmeister passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 29, 2012, at his home. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday at 11:00 AM at Unitarian Church in Bismarck with Tim Tripp officiating. Interment will be held at Sunset Mausoleum in Bismarck. Lauren was born on November 5, 1951, to Signe Lesmeister and Anton Lesmeister at Harvey, North Dakota. Lauren was raised on his father's farm and had many good memories of life in rural North Dakota. Lauren graduated from Harvey High School in 1969. He first went to NDSU but later transferred to Valley City Teacher's College. He was an English teacher and taught briefly at Linton High School and was a substitute teacher in the Bismarck School system. Lauren held a teacher's certificate until his death. Lauren was an excellent chef and delighted in cooking huge dinners for his friends. He often credited his mother for her instruction in the culinary arts. Lauren worked as a chef at the Green Earth Café which he enjoyed. Lauren pursued this love of food into many cookbooks. He co-authored the Lewis and Clark Cookbook and the Sacagawea Cookbook which together sold over 56, 000 copies nationwide. He would go on to write Casual Cuisine and Buffalo Recipes. Lauren also authored a food column in the Bismarck Tribune and hosted a TV series for the local public network called "Stir it Up" where he went behind the scenes of local restaurants to show how chefs created their specialties. Fans enjoyed the candid coverage and most of the restaurants loved the exposure. Lauren loved to travel and traveled the world bringing back cookbooks and ideas from different countries. Lauren's love for music and entertainment started early in his life. His father played the accordion and the young Lauren fell in love with it under his father's tutelage. Lauren was accomplished on the guitar, mandolin, and the drums and also was a guitar teacher. Lauren loved getting together with friends to "jam" the night away. His passion for music and instruments led to him collecting vintage guitars and other instruments which he traded and sold. Lauren's creative musical writing abilities produced a mixture of memorable folk and blues songs. In addition to living in North Dakota, Lauren lived in California where he found work as an extra in movies and earned his Screen Actors Guild card. He later lived in Costa Rica with his friend, Lee Collins, where the two ran a bed and breakfast in Playas Del Coco. Lauren was quick to help the downtrodden. He volunteered for the God's Child Project of Bismarck, and even traveled to Guatemala to work in their mission. In lieu of flowers the family would prefer donations to the God's Child Project. He is survived by his many family and friends around the world. Lauren was preceded in death by his sister, Doreen, nicknamed "Rae", and both of his parents.

Lauren Lesmeister

November 5, 1951 - September 29, 2012