Lester Lavar "Les" Johnson

With great sadness Lester "Les'" family announce his very peaceful passing with his wife, children and grandchildren by his side on Friday, February 13th, 2026 in Brooks. Born May 23rd, 1940, in Rosemary, Alberta to Oddis and Phyllis Johnson, he was the second of seven children. At an early age, his family moved to the United States, where they lived in Idaho and Utah. It was in Utah where he met and married his best friend Lynne, on May 23rd, 1973, and became an instant father to Joseph. Soon after, their daughter Julie was born, whom he always referred to as his "Sweetie". As a family they shared boating, camping, road trips and an endless amount of jam sessions. He lived a life of hard work, caring for others, give him a wrench and he could fix anything, A lover of the outdoors and sunshine, you would find his lawn mowed to perfection, tomato plants in his garden and his favorite purple flowers. But his true love was music and his talent for guitar playing was unlike any other, playing "Chetty" style, he played with Candy Martin and the family group, The Circle J's. In the early 80's Les and Lynne's life journey saw them coming to Canada. They settled in Rosemary, where he worked for the Pioneer Grain Company, and became friends with many of the local farmers. Additionally, Les and Lynne owned and operated the Rosemary Bakery for 27 years, making the best donuts you could find in the county, turnovers that up until his passing, if anyone saw him, they asked, could you make a batch of those for us? But most importantly they made memories and friendships that would last a lifetime. Being an avid sports fan, Les thought none higher nor greater than his beloved Dallas Cowboys!! You could not help from being a fan of America's team when around him during a game. Our family trips and camping on weekends growing up always revolved around kickoff time. Then, in his later life, he greatly enjoyed spending quality time with his best friend and life partner watching their Toronto Blue Jays!! Left to cherish his memory, his wife Lynne of 51 years; son Joseph Bernards; daughter Julie (Cam) Nicholson; his greatest joys, those who called him "Papa" Caleb (Lynsey) Robinson, Cole Nicholson, Ciara Nicholson, most recently a Great "Papa" to Bowie and Sullivan Robinson. Along with grandchildren Fletcher and Ashlynne. Survived by his sister-in-law Pauline; brothers, Eddie (Karen) and Guy (Cora); sisters, Sandy and Lola (Lloyd); David, Shirla and their families along with numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, Oddis and Phyllis; his in laws, Ab and Afton; his brother and best friend, Dallas (John); his sister Mona, Michael, Larry and Roger. A Celebration of Life was held at The Heritage Inn and Convention Centre in Brooks, Alberta on Feb 18th at 2:00 p.m. Burial will take place at Larkin Sunset Gardens, Sandy, Utah, USA. The family would like to thank Dr. E. Van Der Linde for the care he provided to Les through out the years, always respecting Les' wishes and listening as Les would teach him all about baseball. To his nurse Mel, who with her big smile and welcoming "Hello Lester" she always made him smile. In lieu of flowers and in honor of Les, the family asks that you do something nice for someone you love or a kind gesture for a stranger, he would want us to spread kindness.