Obituary of Brad Lessard

LESSARD, Bradley (Brad)

1943-2023

Brad Lessard died peacefully on a beautiful sunny afternoon at the Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital, Strathroy, Ontario on February 26, 2023 surrounded by his wife, Jeannette, his children, Lisa (Nolan), Jennifer and Joe (Taylor), Peter and Sue (Bzowski), Sue and Patrick (Kissoon), and Brad and Emily; his grandchildren Nicole, Skye, Sam and Brooke. Brad had lived in Nairn, Ontario for the last 27 years. He raised his family and lived in London, Ontario for most of his life, although was born in Windsor, Ontario.

Brad and Jeannette were married for 58 years and were with each other through all of life’s ups and downs.

Brad would say his greatest accomplishment was his 5 children who all grew up to be unique, strong and successful individuals in their own rights and he was very proud of them. One can imagine having 5 children in 4 years (there was a set of twins in the mix) how busy life would be and yet Brad was always out and about with up to 5 kids tagging along. He often shared his passion for running with his children by bringing them along to the Fun Runs held at Springbank Park in London. Brad continued to focus on his athletic pursuits having run many marathons, completing triathlons and achieving international success by earning the Masters record in Racewalking in 1985.

Brad was also so pleased and felt blessed to have had his four grandchildren in his life. He often was the source of much humour and would entertain the family with stories, fun anecdotes and he had the typical set of Dad jokes and Dad-isms. Those that spent any amount of time with Brad knew him as a fun guy with a quick wit as he always strived to find the bright side of things and to make others comfortable using his humour.

It would be remiss of us not to mention the other area of his life, his lifelong career as an Insurance Advisor where he continuously, up until his last days pursued with a level of integrity and care not seen as often nowadays. He prided himself on always putting his customers needs first and he often shared how many people/families he loyally served for decades and how much their loyalty to him meant. He touched peoples lives in a way not necessarily expected from your insurance guy.

To ensure we give you a full view of this amazing man, some of his favourite days would be washing or cruising in his red Corvette, as he loved cars. He was an avid reader with an unquenchable search for knowledge and wisdom. Brad enjoyed travelling with his wife Jeannette to many wonderful destinations, always with family or friends along for the enjoyment. Brad was a true foodie and loved the many dinners with his big family over the years. If there was eggnog, ice cream, or butter tarts being served, he was there. If an occasion called for a Timmy’s run, he was the first to volunteer to go and buy.

We want to celebrate Brad, as such a Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.

For those who wish to make a donation in honour of Brad, please consider making a memorial donation to London Health Sciences Foundation in support of Dr. Vincent’s Lung Cancer research at London Regional Cancer Program. London Health Sciences Foundation website: https://lhsf.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.event&eventID=613

When making online donations; click on “Cancer Program” and we will ensure it is specifically allocated to Dr. Vincent’s research; or select “Other” and reflect: London Regional Cancer Program, Dr. Vincent’s lung cancer research.