LESLIE GRANT

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LESLIE GRANT With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Leslie Grant on July 13, 2018. Les is predeceased by the love of his life, Isabelle (Liz). He leaves to mourn his wife Felisa; and his children David (Colleen) and Karen; as well as three granddaughters, Leanne (Mickey), Erin (Paul) and Elizabeth; and three great-grandsons, Brayden, Dyllen, and Sam. In addition, he leaves to mourn Felisa's children, Jose (Helen), Hector (Diana), Mirta and grandchildren. He leaves brothers Harry (Henny) and Harvey (Anita); as well as many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his sisters Rachel and Miriam; and his parents Katie and William Granovsky. In addition to family, he leaves many cousins and friends including his Wednesday morning breakfast club. Les was born in Winnipeg on March 7, 1931. He grew up in Winnipeg's North End surrounded by his extended family. From humble beginnings, Les became a very successful businessman. Starting out in Kenora in 1954, Les and Liz ran Public Grocery. Their ambition and determination resulted in tremendous success not just in the grocery store but in their business supplying flour, feed and foodstuffs to local mills, hospitals, schools and farmers. Within a few short years Les and Liz would become the most successful distributor for Robin Hood Multifoods in Northwestern Ontario. These early years were for both Les and Liz the very best of times they were filled with the joys associated with the births of David and Karen and the promise of a very bright future which Les and Liz had forged together. In 1962 Les and Liz moved back to Winnipeg and operated two other grocery stores. The first was "Grant Food Market" on Pritchard Ave. Such a fixture in the community, the store name lived on long after Les and Liz had moved on to their next ventures. In 1969 Les purchased the Mount Royal Hotel. Les (and his partner, Joe Waisman) turned a struggling hotel into a lucrative business. From there, Les built (with his business partners) The Continental Hotel which he owned and operated until 1976. He then owned and operated The Concord Hotel. In all of his businesses, Les worked hand-in-hand with Liz. Together, they were a force with which to be reckoned. They were never afraid to seek out new opportunities and they put their hearts and souls into everything they did. They had dreams and they knew that those dreams could and would be realized first and foremost by their commitment to each other, as well as their determination and hard work. All of the time spent working did not diminish the time spent with the family. Summer holidays were frequent and Les enjoyed seeing his children succeed in their own lives. Always, Les' main concern was taking care of his family and helping them to succeed in all that they did. What he wanted most was for those he loved to be happy. He wanted his children (and later, his grandchildren) to have all the things that he never had as a child. Les and Liz had the good fortune that all of their hard work would make it possible for them to enjoy life too. They retired relatively young, when Les was just 56. In addition to winters spent in Florida, Les and Liz travelled the world. Liz died much too soon at age 62 in 1995, but there was some solace in the fact that Les and Liz had almost ten years during which time they were unencumbered by the demands of business and work. This meant that they could simply enjoy their life together and their time with family. In 1997 Felisa (a friend that Les and Liz had met years before in Florida) joined the family. The new chapter of Les' life included visits with Felisa's children in Milwaukee and Los Angeles as well as travels to many other international destinations. In the last few years, Les' health declined but, as in the rest of his life, he was always a fighter. He persevered through it and did so with good humour. He was always more concerned about those around him who loved him than he was for himself. We know that Les leaves us with no regrets. He had a wonderful life wonderful loves, devoted children and great adventures. All of that made his a life worth living. Those he leaves to mourn his passing have been enriched by his love and his friendship. We are grateful for the time we had with him and the legacy he leaves. The family thanks the many doctors, as well as the caring staff at Riverview Health Centre (3East Wing) who provided care to Les particularly toward the end of his life. A graveside service will take place on Monday, July 16, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. at the B'nay Abraham Cemetery. Those who wish to honour Les' memory are encouraged to make donations to The Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, Riverview Health Centre or to a charity of their choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 14, 2018