Leslie "Les" Foy Chesson

Leslie “Les” Foy Chesson, 89, passed away on December 5, 2020, under hospice care at Sunrise Senior Living of Cary. Les was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, while his parents were on a Methodist Mission Trip from Durham, NC. Returning to Durham at age three, Les grew up in Durham and graduated from Durham High School in 1950 and attended Duke University, where he earned his Electrical Engineering Degree with honors in 1954. From the ROTC Naval Program at Duke, he joined the Navy during the Korean War as an officer until 1957. Following his service, Les worked for over 30 years at AT&T, took an early retirement, and then worked over 15 years for Sumitomo Electric until his final retirement in 2010.

An avid do-it-yourself type, Les could make his dreams a reality. From building a house on the Blue Ridge Parkway, to carving wooden life-size carousel horses, to renovating 1960’s muscle cars, to large landscaping projects, to home additions, Les completed all of his projects to perfection.

Les was predeceased by his parents, Eugene Chesson and Josie Chesson; brother, Dr. Eugene Chesson; grandson, Jacob Wolff; and great-grandson, Josiah Faulks.

Les is survived by his wife of 43 years, Jean Chesson; first wife, Sylvia Chesson; and sister-in-law, Lynn Chesson. Les is also survived by daughter, Sylvia Chesson and her husband, David Chick; son, Edwin Chesson and his wife, Rhonda Chesson, and grandsons, Ethan Chesson and his wife, Mary Chesson, and Seth Chesson and his wife, Annie Chesson, and granddaughter, Aubrey Chesson; daughter, Mary Clare Chesson, and granddaughters, Shanda Boreyko and her husband, Dr. Jonathan Boreyko, and Mandy Moyers; daughter, Leslie Wolff and her husband, Frank Wolff, and granddaughter, Hannah Faulks and her husband, Nathan Faulks, and grandson, Noah Wolff; daughter, Kimberly Goodling and her husband, Chuck Goodling, and granddaughters, Emily Goodling and Anna Goodling, and grandson, Luke Goodling; son, Randall Chesson and his fiancée, Heather Coppola. Additionally, Les is survived by his great-grandchildren, Ford, Colton, and Harper Chesson; Aaron, Asa, Micah, Evangeline, and Roman Boreyko; Benjamin Faulks and another baby Faulks on the way.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Duke Children’s Hospital, Christ the King Lutheran Church of Cary, or the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

A funeral service will be held 1:00 pm Thursday, December 10, 2020. Please view the service via livestream by clicking on '"Join Livestream" under the Services section at the service time.