Ario Lester Sweet

Ario Lester Sweet, 85, of Benton and Sarasota, Florida, died unexpectedly early Friday morning, September 29, 2023 at his home.

Born April 24, 1938 near Hobbie, Luzerne County, he was the only son of the late Herbert and Florence A. (Naugle) Sweet.  He and his wife, Elaine Hartman Sweet, would have celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on November 15th.

Lester graduated from Benton High School in 1956; Pennsylvania State University in 1960 with a Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace Engineering and then a Master's Degree in Computer Science in 1975.

He was employed at the Ordinance Research Laboratory, PSU from 1959 to 1963.  He then worked for HRB-Singer/Raytheon until his retirement in 2003.  He spent three of those years working in Berlin, Germany as the Principal Engineer.

On June 18, 1959, he married Sylvia Mae Diehl, who passed away on February 24, 1985.  They met while students at Penn State and married and settled in State College for 24 years.

Lester attended the Park Forest Methodist Church, State College and the First Brethren Church of Sarasota, Florida.

He was a member of the Nittany Lions Club, the Gold Wing Road Riders Association and the Women's Volleyball Booster Club.  He was an avid Penn State fan, enjoyed motorcycles, hunting, most anything mechanical and was a brilliant computer geek.  He built his own computer network from parts and wrote computer programs for the defense industry that were never disclosed.

Surviving, in addition to his wife, Elaine, are his children:  Elizabeth Ann (Bob) Johns, of Altoona; Alan L. (Patricia) Sweet, of Walling, TN; Eric L. (Diane) Sweet of San Francisco, CA; Brian K. Sweet, of Lake Tahoe, CA and Daniel J. (Heidi Theule) Sweet, of Cobb, CA; nine grandchildren; Also surviving are his step children:  Rick (Sherry) Hartman, of Ashley; Rochelle (Bob) Mitchell, of Hendersonville TN; Michelle Brewer of Browndale, PA; and Pamela (Sean) Barrett,  of Ashland; 5 step grandchildren and one step great granddaughter. 

In addition to his first wife and parents, he was preceded in death by three sisters and an infant son, Basil, in 1961.

Private graveside services will be held at the convenience of the family at St. James Cemetery, Fishing Creek Township under the direction of the McMichael Funeral Home, Inc., of Benton.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to the charity of the donor's choice.

The McMichael Funeral Home, Inc., of Benton is honored to serve the  Sweet Family. For online condolences or for additional information, please visit our website:  www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com

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