Clarence "Kelly" Emil Lehr

Clarence was born in Cardston Alberta to Emil and Rebecca Lehr in 1934. He was known as Kelly from an early age and enjoyed his childhood on the farm with his older sister Gladys, younger sister Joyce, and baby brother Ron. He was soft-spoken, enjoyed skating, swimming in the river, playing ball, horseback riding and going on hikes in the mountains, with the occasional cow riding shenanigans that farm boys do for fun. His family called him “chicken feet” because of his agility and his ability to run so fast. Although he was not tall, he was strong and stocky and could defend himself easily. He did well in school and as a teenager worked with his dad fixing machinery and doing farm work. He enjoyed going to dances, family gatherings with all his cousins and extended family in the area, and eventually found a love for airplanes and flying. He took flying lessons with the Cadets before leaving for the University of Oklahoma.

He talked about college being difficult for him but was also immensely proud that he was able to graduate with high grades and an Aeronautical Engineering degree. His sister Joyce also joined him at the University but remembers with a smile that despite his efforts to “keep her in line with her studies,” Joyce’s rich social life allowed her to find the man that would be her husband instead. They both returned to Canada soon after and Kelly started his search for a career by working together with sister Glady for a while.

He met Dolores Pogson in a library that she was working at, and they were married soon after. Their first child, Daniel S, was born in 1962 just 9 months after traveling to Seattle on their honeymoon. Soon after Danny was born, they decided to get visas and moved to the Seattle area to work and live where Deborah Susan was born in 1965. The young family enjoyed the area, going to the Coast beaches often, camping down the Oregon coast to the Redwoods, and buying a plane to fly. They also purchased their first boat, the Orion, which began the family’s love of boating. Weekends and summers were spent cruising the San Juan Islands, fishing and exploring.

Kelly worked for Boeing for a while but in search of different work, the family moved to Tsawwassen, BC, and built a house in Ladner, BC before moving to Peoria, Illinois for work. They soon moved back to the same area in Kirkland and the kids were able to go back to the same schools with the same friends they had before. This was when Kelly went out on his own and started Lehr Associates, an Aeronautical manufacturing representative company. He ran this business out of a trailer where the family was all living while another house was being built in Kirkland. It was no easy task to run a business with the whole family in a tiny trailer, but they managed to make a good start and his career was taking off. As work was building, so was the love of the water and a new boat, The Shady Lady, replaced the Orion. This boat took them far into the Canadian Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound where so many memories were made.

After Dolores and Kelly divorced, he met Donna Budd at an Alanon meeting. They were soon married, and their two families blended. They all came together at the “Tamarack house” where most of the 6 children lived at one time or another. Lehr Associates was going strong with Donna working alongside Kelly to create a great business. The boating continued with a new boat, the Tanda, and Donna became an amazing first mate despite her lack of swimming ability. The Woodbridge house was bought where many holiday and birthday memories were made. The family expanded with marriages and new grandchildren.

While living in Woodbridge Kelly and Donna bought their first rental house as an investment. They also owned the Lehr Associates duplex with the office on the bottom and rental apartment on top. Throughout the years they owned many houses and apartments and Kelly’s smart real-estate investing became their livelihood into retirement. Eventually, one more house was built on Orcas Island where they lived for 15 years. Some summers all the Grandchildren would come up and stay and many Holidays were spent there with the whole family. They enjoyed the community, their many friends, and the Yacht Club immensely while living there. Kelly was Commodore of the Orcas Island Yacht Club with Donna as first mate for many years. They cruised all summer long on yes, another new boat, the Royal Eagle, as far north as the Broughton Island chain. His son Dan joined them often on his various boats, but most trips were with Yacht Club friends. They did some traveling outside of boating also, to Hawaii with the whole Lehr family including Kelly’s parents and siblings with husbands and wives. Kelly took his mom with them to Australia and they traveled to New Zealand also.

They eventually tired of the ferry system and longed to be closer to their Grandchildren, so they moved from Orcas Island to a wonderful house with a pond and a barn in Snohomish. They enjoyed the church community there and being closer to family. They sold the boat and bought a trailer so they could travel the US and Canada. Every summer they traveled to the Budd family reunions in Wisconsin, which was something they enjoyed so much. They visited the Lehr’s in Alberta often, and in the winter traveled down through California into Palm Desert, stopping to see friends and family along the way. After living back at the Tamarack house for a few years they finally landed in Bellingham, in Sudden Valley. This is another community they enjoyed with great neighbors and friends always there to help, and good friends nearby to go dancing with every Friday night.

Kelly and Donna made a wonderful life for themselves wherever they landed but it was not without heartache. Kelly lost his sister Joyce, brother Ron and both his parents. They tragically lost Donna’s daughter, Kathleen and Kelly’s son, Dan, which was devastating to them and their families. Kelly eventually lost Donna, his wife of 44 years, before passing himself. He was an amazing caregiver to Donna when she became ill and was so heartbroken when she passed. One can only believe that he is at peace now, free of the grief he felt, somewhere with her and his lost children.

He was a very generous and giving person, always helping friends and family when in need. They gathered many friends, some longtime from before their marriage even, and new ones which he would immediately write down their information in his address book so when he saw them again, he remembered their names. He appreciated all those that helped him and Donna as they aged, from their wonderful caregiver to their amazing property manager, and all their great neighbors, who all became close friends to them. He loved his families and felt very blessed to have the Budd family that welcomed him in as one of their own, the entire Scheppe clan which included their friends and all the Grandkids and great Grandkids, and his Lehr family of siblings and cousins both lost and still here, their children, his own children and 4 grandkids.

There were so many notable accomplishments in his life; college degree, buying boats, building houses, becoming a US citizen, two marriages, raising children, starting a business, investing in real-estate, enjoying his Grandchildren, living his retirement fully, caring for Donna, and many more. I think he would agree that his biggest and most important accomplishment was being blessed with so many people in his life that loved him dearly. He will be missed by so many and always remembered as a wonderful and kind man with a warm smile. Thank-you Kelly, for all the great memories and impact you have had on all you have left behind. Rest peacefully forever more.

Fun facts:

The people who called him Grandpa Kelly: Trace, Parker, John, Lauren, Karlisa, J.D., Lacie, Katie, Cory, Reed, Jenna, Brittany, Zach, Paxtyn, and Jaeger.

Kelly almost drowned while swimming in a river as a kid. A nearby farmer pulled him out and resuscitated him. He remembered the near-death experience profoundly. He recovered and after some time had passed, and he realized that he should go thank this man for saving his life. But, the farmer had passed away. He greatly regretted not thanking him sooner and carried that lesson of always thanking people immediately, when necessary, with him forever.

Kelly's plane slipped into gear when he started it once. It ran him over and crashed into another hanger doing damage to a brand-new plane. They took his pilot’s license away. His wrecked plane sat in our front yard for a while, which was a pretty cool thing for a kid. We met many times for lunch at that very same airport over the last few years, so the story lives on.

Kelly decided to ride a cow when he was a kid, and immediately fell off and broke his arm.

Kelly was allergic to bees. He found out when he was 20 years old and got stung while on a tractor way out in a field. He drove 3 hours on the tractor to the closest doctor which was at a maternity clinic. He stumbled in amongst all the laboring woman, barely able to breathe, but was shot to the front of the line by the woman and saved by the doctor.

While anchored at a remote island in the gulf islands with his 2 young children Kelly was stung by another bee. He decided to wait to see if he was still allergic, so he rowed the dinghy all the way back to the boat despite both his very competent children offering to row, made a martini, and sat back to see if his throat would swell up. Wise man that he was, he decided to pull up anchor just before dusk and head to the nearest hospital, a two-hour cruise away. By the time he was docked in the dark and walked the three blocks up to the hospital, he passed out in the waiting room but was saved by the doctor …again. Kelly was still allergic to bees.

Kelly always believed having cash in his wallet was a good thing. That way he could always whip it out and pay for his guest’s meal, which was the best way to make a good impression while doing business or just a nice gesture with friends or family.

Kelly always wore a toque (Canadian word for hat) to bed. That way he could sleep with a window open and his head wouldn’t get cold. He also never would leave the house without his Vicks, a box of toothpicks, and a handkerchief and comb in his pocket under his suspenders.

Kelly and his brother Ron took off on a road trip to Alaska intent on camping all the way. The first night the “mosquitoes were as big as bats", they were very cold, and the ground was hard. Halfway through the night they looked at each other wondering why a couple of older guys should be camping and enduring this torture. They packed up and headed for a motel. The tent was never used again. Many great stories of fun with brother Ron came out of that trip. Here’s hoping the pair are enjoying another adventure together now.