January 3, 1927 - November 14, 2023

In loving memory ~

January 3rd, 1927 ~November 14th, 2023

Born to Sophie and Edward Chambers, the second of four children, Leonard was delivered at home. They told him later that the Doctor brought him to the house in his black bag. He was raised in Vancouver during the thirties and forties, at a time when it was partly wilderness and farmland. He graduated from Vancouver Tech High School.

Len met Lois at the Cedar Cottage United Young People's Union social gathering. He was 18 and Lois was 15. Their romance blossomed quickly. They remained a couple for over 75 years.

Leonard loved the outdoors and he spent many weekends, hiking up to his cabin on Seymour Mtn. From these hikes came many stories of encounters with bears and trees falling during storms. No one would give him a second glance boarding a bus to North Vancouver with his loaded 22 rifle. His passion for the ocean was also evident early in his life. While a teenager he built a kayak and paddled from Vancouver to the Gulf Islands. His love of the outdoors led him to a job as a licensed timber scaler and introduced him to camp life in Squamish and Woss. But a life away from Lois was not in the cards. Taking a job as an apprentice Plasterer, Len had found his trade and passion.

Not being afraid of work, Len and Lois bought a vacant lot on Douglas Rd. in Burnaby. They embarked upon building their home with no mortgage and no loans. Money left over from the weekly paycheque bought the materials needed to build. With the passage of several years and the help of many friends and family, Len and Lois, moved into the house that would be home for over 60 years.

It was a work place accident that broke Len's ankle. His rehabilitation included swimming and this led to scuba diving. Len's enthusiasm for diving resulted in him becoming a Scuba Instructor at the downtown YMCA. With the help of a partner, they started Burnaby Divers. The next project was the construction of a 40 foot Trimaran. If Leonard had anything approaching a fault, it was his overly strong affection for his boat the Triad. His career as a tradesman, included a spell as an Instructor at BCIT. Perhaps the highlight of his career was being the lead responsible for the renovation and restoration of the ornate plastering inside Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre.

Leonard's service to community and non-profit organizations included executive positions in the United Church in North Burnaby, the Multi Hull Association and the Plasterers Union.

Leonard was an honest, hard working man, who never spoke poorly of others and was always willing to help those in need. He was a loving and dedicated husband and a supportive father. He will be missed and fondly remembered by his son Steven, daughter Lenore, daughter-in law Sandra, grandchildren Alena, Matthew, Darren and Timothy and their spouses (Sean, Val, Jordan and Shannon) and great-grandchildren, Ashley, Ciara, Dash, Quinn, Maxwell, Tristan, Ellis, Evelyn and Dante.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Piercy's - Mt Washington Funeral Home, December 1st at 2 pm.