Leslie Kenneth Conrad Clay

Leslie Kenneth Conrad Clay was born on March 30, 1932, at Burnaby General Hospital. He married the love of his life Beverly Anne Hardiman on May 16, 1959. Unfortunately, Bev passed away on December 14, 2018, just shy of their 60th Wedding Anniversary. They moved to Langley in the spring of 1964 where they owned and operated Clay’s Nurseries until 2001 on a 40-acre property in South Langley.

Les was actively involved in the community. He served as Chair of the Langley Township Parks and Recreation Committee for many years. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Langley for over 50 years, as well as a long-time member of the BC Landscape and Nursery Association, the International Plant Propagators Association, the Fraser Valley Rhododendron Society and other BC Chapters of the American Rhododendron Society.

Les was recognized as Langley’s Senior of the Year in 2007 and a H.D. Stafford Good Citizen of the Year in 2013.

One of his biggest achievements was the creation of the Derek Doubleday Arboretum, the 38-acre park west of the Langley Regional Airport, between 56th Avenue and Fraser Highway.

Les will always be remembered in the hearts of his family - his children and their spouses Barb and Jamie Nelson, Butch and Lee-Ann Clay, Geoff Clay and Peggy Richardson; his grandchildren, their spouses, great-grandchildren, his brother-in-law Gordon Dennis, his nieces, nephew and their spouses Alison Dennis, Holly and Randy Semrau, Chris & Michelle Dennis and children. .

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday April 6, 2024, at 2:00pm at the United Churches of Langley (21562 Old Yale Road). In lieu of flowers, Les’s family asks that donations be made to the Arboretum and Botanical Society of Langley (ABSL) www.abslangley.ca or to the Langley Rotary Clubs Charitable Foundation, www.langleyrotaryclubs.com