Leslie "Les" Raymond James, 68, of Traverse City, passed away peacefully on June 14th at his home surrounded by his loving family.
Les was born on January 21, 1947 to the late Edward James and Edna Elizabeth (Jenner) James in Bexley Heath, Kent, England. He married the love of his life Jennifer "Jenny" Anne Threader on February 9, 1974 at St. Francis Catholic Church in Crawley, West Sussex, England. Together they lovingly raised two wonderful children, Ash and Claire.
"Work hard, play hard," is a good start for understanding Les. As a Mechanical Engineer, a few of Les's career highlights include; in 1976, Les was in France involved with building the first Concorde, from 1978-1980 he turned a Company around in Edmonton, Alberta. Les was also involved with Red Adaire when an major oil rig was on fire. He started and ran a specialized diamond tool cutting plant in South Carolina. Les started his own successful consulting business. He bought a company out of Chapter 11 in Manhattan, where he actually saw the twin towers fall during 9/11. Les was also a Lead Auditor for VCA.
Les was passionate about the outdoors and ensured his family shared in his hobbies which included; clay shooting, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, camping, snow and water skiing. Jenny, Ash, Claire and their families will continue to honor Les by enjoying these activities. Les was such an incredible person, loved and admired by all his family, his colleagues, and his many friends.
Surviving Les is his wife, Jenny of 41 dedicated years, children, Ashley (Kelly) James, Claire (Dustin) Ramoie, grandchildren, Allison, Faith, Tanner, Cason, sister Carole (Andrew) Bates and many other loving family members and friends.
A celebration of Les's life will take place on June 20th at 5 p.m. at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be directed to Munson Home Health Hospice, www.munsonhomehealth.org . Kindly share any thoughts or memories with Les's family at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com .