Leonard was the third child born to John Ernest Brown and Miriam Ann Morris. His attached obituary gives only tidbits of his accomplished life but it truly missed the mark on what an incredible man he was. I wanted to be sure to share some of what and who this man was. I'd like to rewrite his obituary, well at the least, I'll add the following to it...
When he returned from overseas, he married his sweetheart, Del, returned to the factory he worked for, and built a long happy life together. Sadly no children born to this wonderful couple. One thing to share, is he made an ironing board cover out of his uniform material for his new bride. He said he couldn't wear again, so he made good use of it. He made lots of things out of wood. One to mention is a sitting hexagon bench for the ladies locker room at the curling club Del was a member of. Del passed in 2010 after 65 years together. He had a plate engraved in her memory to add to the bench.
Missing from his obituary and without a doubt, I know he'd want him remembered no matter how short his time here was, is the first born child to his parents, his brother, Bunard (Bernard) Brown, who was born July 19, 1918 and sadly died the same day. He is buried in the paupers field in the same cemetery but sadly in an unknown plot. We tried to find the location as Len wanted to place a marker for him. Instead we brought flowers and placed them in an open area of the many unmarked souls. This at least gave him a sense of closure to have at least a somewhat known area.
Also noting an uncle, William E. J. Morris, that he came to admire more as he learned of his plight once we dug deep into how he and his own mother (Miriam) came to be in Canada as British home children through Dr. Barnardo's Homes. Len had spent a few times going through the Ridgetown, Ontario cemetery seeking his uncle's resting spot throughout the years but with no success. With the research information and the new caretaker locating his plot, he finally got a marker placed through the Last Post Fund for his uncle. This was a very emotional moment for Len when we went to his resting place and he strolled up to his marker with his walker. It was then he finally found some peace within to be sure his uncle was not forgotten.
Len sponsored the WWI Memorial Plaque for the fallen British home children of Canada which was unveiled in July 2015 through the British Home Child Advocacy and Research Association (google that!). Don Cherry was an honoured guest for this ceremony, as his own grandfather was a British home child, he supports advocating their stories, especially the boys who went off to war. Through the same Association, a Memorial quilt was created with squares depicting some of the children, and as a surprise for Len, one was created of his mother and uncle. This quilt is constantly on display. This was another very emotional moment when the quilt was brought to him at the Residence for him to see it.
He sponsored a stone to be placed in the Remembrance Gardens in London, Ontario in June 2016, which we attended. It was a replica of the Memorial Stone wording for the fallen British home children of WWI placed in the Barnardo receiving home in Toronto in 1923. Come this August, the caretaker of this garden has sponsored and will dedicate a stone in Len's memory. He left that much of an impression behind in his 2016 visit!!
Last but not least, Len lost much of his vision and his family purchased a pair of eSight eyewear for him. Once gone, he wanted them donated to a Veteran in need since they are not a covered item. If a Veteran was not found in need, then he wanted to be sure that someone who was need to have them, to have a gift of sight.
These are only achievements and tidbits that I know of in the short but blessed 5 years I knew him. I can only imagine all the other wonderful things of him for the other 91 years before that!! He was a humble, sweet and kind man. Light up a room with his smile and his giggle, oh that was the best!! Blessed are those who knew him. I miss him terribly.
When he returned from overseas, he married his sweetheart, Del, returned to the factory he worked for, and built a long happy life together. Sadly no children born to this wonderful couple. One thing to share, is he made an ironing board cover out of his uniform material for his new bride. He said he couldn't wear again, so he made good use of it. He made lots of things out of wood. One to mention is a sitting hexagon bench for the ladies locker room at the curling club Del was a member of. Del passed in 2010 after 65 years together. He had a plate engraved in her memory to add to the bench.
Missing from his obituary and without a doubt, I know he'd want him remembered no matter how short his time here was, is the first born child to his parents, his brother, Bunard (Bernard) Brown, who was born July 19, 1918 and sadly died the same day. He is buried in the paupers field in the same cemetery but sadly in an unknown plot. We tried to find the location as Len wanted to place a marker for him. Instead we brought flowers and placed them in an open area of the many unmarked souls. This at least gave him a sense of closure to have at least a somewhat known area.
Also noting an uncle, William E. J. Morris, that he came to admire more as he learned of his plight once we dug deep into how he and his own mother (Miriam) came to be in Canada as British home children through Dr. Barnardo's Homes. Len had spent a few times going through the Ridgetown, Ontario cemetery seeking his uncle's resting spot throughout the years but with no success. With the research information and the new caretaker locating his plot, he finally got a marker placed through the Last Post Fund for his uncle. This was a very emotional moment for Len when we went to his resting place and he strolled up to his marker with his walker. It was then he finally found some peace within to be sure his uncle was not forgotten.
Len sponsored the WWI Memorial Plaque for the fallen British home children of Canada which was unveiled in July 2015 through the British Home Child Advocacy and Research Association (google that!). Don Cherry was an honoured guest for this ceremony, as his own grandfather was a British home child, he supports advocating their stories, especially the boys who went off to war. Through the same Association, a Memorial quilt was created with squares depicting some of the children, and as a surprise for Len, one was created of his mother and uncle. This quilt is constantly on display. This was another very emotional moment when the quilt was brought to him at the Residence for him to see it.
He sponsored a stone to be placed in the Remembrance Gardens in London, Ontario in June 2016, which we attended. It was a replica of the Memorial Stone wording for the fallen British home children of WWI placed in the Barnardo receiving home in Toronto in 1923. Come this August, the caretaker of this garden has sponsored and will dedicate a stone in Len's memory. He left that much of an impression behind in his 2016 visit!!
Last but not least, Len lost much of his vision and his family purchased a pair of eSight eyewear for him. Once gone, he wanted them donated to a Veteran in need since they are not a covered item. If a Veteran was not found in need, then he wanted to be sure that someone who was need to have them, to have a gift of sight.
These are only achievements and tidbits that I know of in the short but blessed 5 years I knew him. I can only imagine all the other wonderful things of him for the other 91 years before that!! He was a humble, sweet and kind man. Light up a room with his smile and his giggle, oh that was the best!! Blessed are those who knew him. I miss him terribly.
Leonard was the third child born to John Ernest Brown and Miriam Ann Morris. His attached obituary gives only tidbits of his accomplished life but it truly missed the mark on what an incredible man he was. I wanted to be sure to share some of what and who this man was. I'd like to rewrite his obituary, well at the least, I'll add the following to it...
When he returned from overseas, he married his sweetheart, Del, returned to the factory he worked for, and built a long happy life together. Sadly no children born to this wonderful couple. One thing to share, is he made an ironing board cover out of his uniform material for his new bride. He said he couldn't wear again, so he made good use of it. He made lots of things out of wood. One to mention is a sitting hexagon bench for the ladies locker room at the curling club Del was a member of. Del passed in 2010 after 65 years together. He had a plate engraved in her memory to add to the bench.
Missing from his obituary and without a doubt, I know he'd want him remembered no matter how short his time here was, is the first born child to his parents, his brother, Bunard (Bernard) Brown, who was born July 19, 1918 and sadly died the same day. He is buried in the paupers field in the same cemetery but sadly in an unknown plot. We tried to find the location as Len wanted to place a marker for him. Instead we brought flowers and placed them in an open area of the many unmarked souls. This at least gave him a sense of closure to have at least a somewhat known area.
Also noting an uncle, William E. J. Morris, that he came to admire more as he learned of his plight once we dug deep into how he and his own mother (Miriam) came to be in Canada as British home children through Dr. Barnardo's Homes. Len had spent a few times going through the Ridgetown, Ontario cemetery seeking his uncle's resting spot throughout the years but with no success. With the research information and the new caretaker locating his plot, he finally got a marker placed through the Last Post Fund for his uncle. This was a very emotional moment for Len when we went to his resting place and he strolled up to his marker with his walker. It was then he finally found some peace within to be sure his uncle was not forgotten.
Len sponsored the WWI Memorial Plaque for the fallen British home children of Canada which was unveiled in July 2015 through the British Home Child Advocacy and Research Association (google that!). Don Cherry was an honoured guest for this ceremony, as his own grandfather was a British home child, he supports advocating their stories, especially the boys who went off to war. Through the same Association, a Memorial quilt was created with squares depicting some of the children, and as a surprise for Len, one was created of his mother and uncle. This quilt is constantly on display. This was another very emotional moment when the quilt was brought to him at the Residence for him to see it.
He sponsored a stone to be placed in the Remembrance Gardens in London, Ontario in June 2016, which we attended. It was a replica of the Memorial Stone wording for the fallen British home children of WWI placed in the Barnardo receiving home in Toronto in 1923. Come this August, the caretaker of this garden has sponsored and will dedicate a stone in Len's memory. He left that much of an impression behind in his 2016 visit!!
Last but not least, Len lost much of his vision and his family purchased a pair of eSight eyewear for him. Once gone, he wanted them donated to a Veteran in need since they are not a covered item. If a Veteran was not found in need, then he wanted to be sure that someone who was need to have them, to have a gift of sight.
These are only achievements and tidbits that I know of in the short but blessed 5 years I knew him. I can only imagine all the other wonderful things of him for the other 91 years before that!! He was a humble, sweet and kind man. Light up a room with his smile and his giggle, oh that was the best!! Blessed are those who knew him. I miss him terribly.
When he returned from overseas, he married his sweetheart, Del, returned to the factory he worked for, and built a long happy life together. Sadly no children born to this wonderful couple. One thing to share, is he made an ironing board cover out of his uniform material for his new bride. He said he couldn't wear again, so he made good use of it. He made lots of things out of wood. One to mention is a sitting hexagon bench for the ladies locker room at the curling club Del was a member of. Del passed in 2010 after 65 years together. He had a plate engraved in her memory to add to the bench.
Missing from his obituary and without a doubt, I know he'd want him remembered no matter how short his time here was, is the first born child to his parents, his brother, Bunard (Bernard) Brown, who was born July 19, 1918 and sadly died the same day. He is buried in the paupers field in the same cemetery but sadly in an unknown plot. We tried to find the location as Len wanted to place a marker for him. Instead we brought flowers and placed them in an open area of the many unmarked souls. This at least gave him a sense of closure to have at least a somewhat known area.
Also noting an uncle, William E. J. Morris, that he came to admire more as he learned of his plight once we dug deep into how he and his own mother (Miriam) came to be in Canada as British home children through Dr. Barnardo's Homes. Len had spent a few times going through the Ridgetown, Ontario cemetery seeking his uncle's resting spot throughout the years but with no success. With the research information and the new caretaker locating his plot, he finally got a marker placed through the Last Post Fund for his uncle. This was a very emotional moment for Len when we went to his resting place and he strolled up to his marker with his walker. It was then he finally found some peace within to be sure his uncle was not forgotten.
Len sponsored the WWI Memorial Plaque for the fallen British home children of Canada which was unveiled in July 2015 through the British Home Child Advocacy and Research Association (google that!). Don Cherry was an honoured guest for this ceremony, as his own grandfather was a British home child, he supports advocating their stories, especially the boys who went off to war. Through the same Association, a Memorial quilt was created with squares depicting some of the children, and as a surprise for Len, one was created of his mother and uncle. This quilt is constantly on display. This was another very emotional moment when the quilt was brought to him at the Residence for him to see it.
He sponsored a stone to be placed in the Remembrance Gardens in London, Ontario in June 2016, which we attended. It was a replica of the Memorial Stone wording for the fallen British home children of WWI placed in the Barnardo receiving home in Toronto in 1923. Come this August, the caretaker of this garden has sponsored and will dedicate a stone in Len's memory. He left that much of an impression behind in his 2016 visit!!
Last but not least, Len lost much of his vision and his family purchased a pair of eSight eyewear for him. Once gone, he wanted them donated to a Veteran in need since they are not a covered item. If a Veteran was not found in need, then he wanted to be sure that someone who was need to have them, to have a gift of sight.
These are only achievements and tidbits that I know of in the short but blessed 5 years I knew him. I can only imagine all the other wonderful things of him for the other 91 years before that!! He was a humble, sweet and kind man. Light up a room with his smile and his giggle, oh that was the best!! Blessed are those who knew him. I miss him terribly.
Inscription
BROWN
In Loving Memory
Leonard J.
1921 -2017
Delores J.
1927 - 2010
Their wedding photo was added (by Len) a few years before his death.
Family Members
Siblings
Sponsored by Ancestry
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