William Lesley

OXFORD – William J. Lesley, 78, died Saturday, May 28, 2016, at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Brighton, after a short illness. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Nancy V. (Rose) Lesley of Oxford; three children, Robert W. Lesley and his wife Jacqueline of Pawtucket, RI, Gary S. Lesley and his companion Deborah Simmons of Oxford, and Debbi A. Dickhaut and her husband Mark of Oxford; his brother-in-law, Neil Larocque and his companion Lena MacInnis of North Oxford; eight grandchildren, six great grandchildren, a nephew, a niece, and several cousins. He was predeceased by his sister, Virginia Larocque; and a granddaughter, Kerri Rose Dickhaut. He was born in Webster, son of the late William J. and Jessie M. (Farrar) Lesley, and was a lifelong resident of Oxford. He graduated from Oxford High School in 1955 and served with the Massachusetts Army National Guard.

Mr. Lesley worked at National Grid for 40 years, retiring in 1998. He was active with the Boy Scouts in Oxford when his sons were young. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, playing cards, gardening, taking trips to the casino with his wife and friends, and enjoyed being retired.

A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1, 2016, at Paradis-Givner Funeral Home, 357 Main St., Oxford. Burial will follow at Hillside Cemetery in Auburn. Calling hours are Tuesday, May 31, 2016, from 5-7 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the World Wildlife Fund, 1250 Twenty-Fourth St., N.W., P.O. Box 97180, Washington, DC 20090-7180.