Leslie Tarr

Leslie Tarr passed away peacefully with family by his side on the morning of July 4, 2024, from lung cancer. Les had a wealth of knowledge on a broad range of topics, always keeping up with the pulse of things. He had a great mind for mechanics and especially loved fabricating and building his projects. He rebuilt his first truck engine at 12 years old and continued to develop his knowledge and love for all things mechanical. He held value in all the bits and pieces, as they would come in handy for his next project; nothing was junk because Les knew he could make something out of it. When he encountered something daunting, he would find the solution - often said, “ Who taught the first guy.”

Les met Lisa in 1988 and married on July 24, 1993. They purchased their family home in September of that year and raised their five children there, spending many years watching them grow, sharing traditions of carving pumpkins, and colouring Easter eggs. He could often be found in the yard enjoying the view of the valley. He enjoyed coffee with friends and neighbours.

Les obtained his Journeyman Welding Interprovincial Ticket in 1998 while employed by United Grain Growers on their construction crew. He enjoyed the years and friendships made while travelling through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, doing construction and repair on grain elevators; he felt sad when the elevators he had worked on disappeared from the landscape. Les was passionate about prairie history, especially as it pertained to mechanical innovations and sharing his love with his family. He loved family vacations and particularly enjoyed trips to Whitehorse Yukon, Ontario, and Manitoba; museums and historical sites were always included in the travel plans, especially those of Western Development Museums and working museums; his annual trips to Austin and Manitoba to enjoy the working equipment displayed there was a clear favourite. Les took pride in his family history; his father, Charles, served in WWII, and his mother, Maria, was a Dutch War Bride. He had five siblings: Marianne, Peter(Betty), Adrian (Tori), Sheila, and Jennifer (Garry) Weichel.  Parents-in-law Mylles and Gail Brook; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Tanya and Murray Nagorski; niece Emmalyne (Bryce) and sons Jayce and Mason Reles, Thomas and son Daxton. He also shared a familial relationship with Frank and Marilyn Mundy and their family. He often spent time searching ancestral history and learning about his roots. He had travelled with his Mom to Amsterdam as a young toddler; returning to visit his remaining family was a dream. However, this dream never came to fruition.

Over a decade ago, Les began working for Prairie Valley School Division driving a school bus; he could transport his kids to school and enjoyed getting to know his “bus children.” He loved sharing jokes and listening to their stories. He always had an endearing story to share about his day. The kids learned that if the weather were bad, Les’ bus would always make it to school, so unless the school division cancelled the bus, there would be no weather holidays for his route, to the chagrin of some of his bus students.

His greatest pride was his family, his legacy, his children, Lacie (Brenden) Pasloski, Leyland (Katie) and granddaughter Eva, Levi (Fiona), Liam (Celina), and Laurel. Les will be missed; he loved and was loved. 

A Celebration of Life was held Friday, July 12, at 2 p.m. at The Tarr Farm.