Les Moreside passed away peacefully at age 103 on July 7th, 2024, surrounded by his children, in his suite at Berwick House in Victoria, British Columbia.

Les was born on December 8th,1920, in Duval, Saskatchewan to Adrian Leslie Moreside and Evelyn Ruth Cudmore. He grew up as the fourth of seven children on the family farm outside of Strasbourg, Saskatchewan. Les had many tales of their life on the farm that he regaled his children with, including taming the infamous wild stallion Prince, and being shot by accident by a neighbour while out duck hunting. The shotgun blast left 20+ lead pellets in his shoulder, and he was lucky to survive! He told stories of their large family driving their old car from Saskatchewan to PEI and back again after repeated crop failures in the 1930s. Les studied to be an aeronautical engineer in his late teens and early twenties. Immediately upon completing his studies at Mechanical Industries Technical Institute on Georgia Street in Vancouver he began work at Boeing Aircraft at Sea Island as the Chief Engineer building PBY flying boats for WWII.

After the war ended, he obtained his dental degree at McGill University in Montreal and began practicing dentistry there. He loved to tell the story of how he met our mother in what was basically a blind date set up by her sister and his good friend who were dating, under the guise of a dental appointment. He always laughed when he told the part of the story where he was being a little too thorough with her intake paperwork, as he was immediately smitten, and asked her for her date of birth, to which she quipped,  “Can’t you tell by my teeth?’ They married in Montreal, Quebec in September 1952 and were together for 64 years before Gwyn passed away in 2016.

Les’s dental practice in the 60s was in the very newly developed Edgemont Village in North Vancouver. He told us children that his colleagues were skeptical that he could make a living in such a sparsely populated area. Hard to imagine today! He retired in early 1980s and has always expressed so much fondness and gratitude for the many families that came through his doors over the decades. He enjoyed very much seeing the children he had as patients grow up and become parents themselves, then bringing their children to him. He told us many times how lucky he felt to have had the opportunity to have the career he did in that time and place, and how grateful he was to have the opportunity to get to know all of his wonderful patients.

After retirement, Les and Gwyn sold their North Vancouver home and retired to their summer property at Shuswap Lake in BC’s Interior. They spent many happy years there together, and enjoyed cycling, gardening, and entertaining friends and family together. They also enjoyed travelling together to Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK as well as trips to Arizona and California in their motorhome.
In their 80s Les and Gwyn moved back to the West Coast to be closer to family and friends. They chose Victoria, where they had several family members nearby, and had another decade together enjoying life in their townhouse on the Cedar Hill Golf Course in Saanich before finally moving together to Berwick House. Les was a lifelong avid golfer and remained fit and healthy by spending time with his friends on the links. He golfed well into his 90s. Les had a great passion for fitness and was in the gym at Berwick House working out in his last few days of life.
Les was predeceased by his wife Gwyneth and his six siblings – Roland, Florence, Ivan, Gladys, Hazel and Aneta. He is survived by his four children, Heather, Pam, Lesley (Michael)  and Gordon (Eron); his grandchildren Jeff, Lena, Elias, Emmett and Sebastian; and his great grandchild Tucker.
Special thanks to Les’s nephews, nieces and their families as well as dear family friends for the constant love, admiration, and support they showed him throughout his life and in particular after the loss of his wife, Gwyn. We are very grateful for the ways that you made our father’s life rich and full.
The family is also very grateful to the entire staff at Berwick House for their care, support, and friendship provided to Les in the 12 years he lived there, in particular to Maggie Raw, whom he considered a dear friend. He considered many of the staff to be his friends, and was so appreciative of the efforts of everyone there to make his life enjoyable. Many thanks to the other residents of Berwick for their friendship, and kind thanks as well to Dr. Woodley for providing such excellent care over the years.
Les Moreside will be laid to rest next to his beloved wife Gwyneth, at Boal Chapel Memorial Gardens in North Vancouver.
“The pipes kept playing, for you and meThey kept on saying we will soon be freeAnd your soul will never fade awayYou’ll live forever, when the pipers play”
Condolences may be offered to the family below.

McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com