Leslie Ann Bell

Leslie was born in Toronto, Ontario to Arch and Joan. At the age of 3, she and her family moved across the country to Vancouver, B.C., where Leslie called home. She was a west-coast girl at heart, with a sincere love of nature and the outdoors. At her home in Coquitlam, she fed and cared for all manner of wild creatures, from hummingbirds to squirrels to raccoons to mallards. When a pair of ravens squatted in the backyard, Leslie dubbed them “my ravens” and routinely glutted them with leftover honey-baked ham.

Her passion for antiques and collectibles was obvious to anyone who knew Leslie (no family vacation was complete without scavenging the local antique shops). For nearly two decades, she sold her hand-picked relics at her booth in Fort Langley's Village Antique Mall, curating eye-catching displays of Chinoiserie, Bakelite jewelry, Victorian cameo pins, vintage toys, and more.

Leslie was a free-thinker and a free-spirit, who danced to the beat of her own drum. Well-spoken, well-read and well-travelled, she was a creative force to be reckoned with, talented in photography, jewelry-making, writing and music. She filled her home with eclectic sounds of jazz and soul music, and those closest to her received the good fortune of hearing her beautiful singing voice.

Take a moment to ruminate on the life of this extraordinary person, and celebrate her memory in any way you see fit: play your favourite record, put out seed for the birds, go walking at dusk. Leslie is survived by her husband, Harry, her two children, Eric and Cassandra, and her brother, Bob.

www.lesliebell.org

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.firstmemorialportcoquitlam.com for the Bell family.