Therese “Terri” (Burkhardt) Lescelius, who was the first female editor of the Marinette Eagle-Star and led the EagleHerald newsroom for nearly two decades, died Wednesday, July 21. She was 68.
Born Sept. 13, 1952, to Mitzi and Walt Burkhardt, she graduated from Redford High School in Michigan in 1970 and went on to attend Central Michigan University.
In 1973, she joined the newsroom of the Ironwood (Mich.) Daily Globe, where she met her husband, Paul Lescelius. They married in 1976 and together they had three children, Jody, David and Emily.
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Lescelius joined the Marinette Eagle-Star newsroom in 1982 and later became the paper’s first female editor. In 1987, she was named editor and general manager of the Menominee Herald-Leader, another Bliss Communications newspaper.
When the two rival newspapers merged in 1995, Lescelius remained as editor. During her tenure, Lescelius saw the EagleHerald through numerous technological changes as well as its shift from an afternoon newspaper to a morning edition. She continued in the role until her retirement in 2012.
A memorial gathering for Lescelius will be held from 4 to 7 p.m., Friday, July 30, at Cadieu Funeral Home in Menominee.
