JAMES LESLIE LEITCH

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JAMES LESLIE LEITCH Les passed away quietly on a beautiful May 30, 2009 in Victoria after a battle with cancer. He was born on July 12, 1924 in Winnipeg. Les was predeceased by his youngest son Brent in 1953, his first wife Grace in 1980, his brother Bill in 2008 and his sister Connie in 2009. He is survived and sadly missed by Diane, his wife of 21 years, by son Dale and daughter-in-law Karen, all of Victoria, by his stepchildren Struan (Jean) and Alison (Neil) and their children in Alberta, and Hilary in Fernie, B.C. He will also be missed by many close friends in Winnipeg, including John and Corinne Mahaffy and Bev and Wally Gretschman. Les was always proud of his overseas service in England with the Royal Canadian Air Force in the Second World War, where he serviced the Merlin engines of his beloved Lancaster bombers. After the war, he held several jobs, culminating in a 34-year career with IBM in Winnipeg. As a customer engineer, he serviced the first mainframe computers and designed computer rooms, earning several IBM Service Awards. He and his first wife Grace, Dale's mother, were devastated by a family tragedy when she and the boys became polio victims in 1953 while on vacation thousands of miles from home. While Brent died and Grace was invalided, Grace and Les resolutely made a full and satisfying family life back in Winnipeg, despite the blow that fate dealt them. They enjoyed many happy times with their wide circle of friends and family, inspiring everyone they met. Over those years, Les and Dale enjoyed numerous camping and fishing trips in the wilds of Manitoba with the boat they had built together. Les was a renaissance man interested in and knowledgeable about nature, mechanics, carpentry, fine woodworking, electronics, gardening, music, print-making, bird watching and many other pursuits. He had an insatiable curiosity and was able to build or fix almost anything. Les and Diane were married in Edmonton in 1988, a year after they met on a safari in Kenya and Tanzania. The next 21 years were full of love and happiness for them both. Together they travelled the world on botanical, geological and birding tours. At home, in Edmonton and Victoria, Les was passionate about designing and cultivating their gardens. He also loved working with wood, built many fine pieces of furniture for their home and designed and created numerous beautiful bowls, plates and vases on his lathe. You never know what magic you will find in a block of wood until you begin working with it , he would say. Les was kindness and gentleness personified, loyal, supportive and generous to his family and friends. He was a very loving husband, wonderful father and father-in-law and a great friend. The family would like to thank the staff of Victoria Hospice as well as Kingsley Hill and other caregivers who supported Les over the past few months. A celebration of Les' life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, friends might make a donation to Victoria Hospice in Les' name.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 06, 2009