Len Yust

Len Yust's funeral was on April 3, 2014 and we were asked to say a goodbye message.  Several people at the event have asked for a copy of that address.  It is below, along with a recent photo of Len relaxing at his "Caldwell Club".  May he rest in peace.

Len Yust

Len was a young man when I first met him, almost 40 years ago.  He had impressed me with his fly fishing skills, so I made the suggestion that he join me at an upcoming IWFFC event.

His casting and fly tying skills made him a favourite instructor for the club, and he soon took on the duties of Prize and Donations convener for the Canadian Fly Fishing Forum. As expected, he did an outstanding job in all respects, especially in fund raising. He exceeded our greatest expectation’s every year, producing revenue never before seen or duplicated since then.

I also had the chance to visit him at his work, 7 waste-water treatment plants in Halton. They were cutting edge technology, to be expected, but they also were models of outstanding Union/Management harmony. The staff respected Len and he was a truly a model manager. As a result, union grievances were almost unheard of. It was a sign of what kind of a person he was, both in business and socially.

As he pursued new career opportunities, in the consulting field, those skills proved invaluable. He was traveling world wide to further the development of water facilities. The only drawback was the extensive travel and two incidents helped change his career: The San Francisco earthquake found him while at a conference. His survival skills got him on the last plane out to Toronto. Later, he was in Northern India when 911 occurred. Again, he escaped the political hot spot by some fast thinking. Always a survivor, he was an early evacuee to safety at home.

It was time for a career change, and he knew Trout Unlimited was looking for an Eastern Executive Director, following Mike Warrian’s retirement. He was to be a perfect 3 yr. sabbatical fit, with a focus on water quality, strong organizational and people skills, plus a background in fund raising. His mandate: Build TU’s Eastern presence with more chapters and run the Toronto Dinner event. What did Len do?  Simply took T.U. from 3 chapters to 17 in 2 years, plus produce higher net revenues from the dinner than ever seen before!

Len’s strength in doing all these things was based on his ability to make friends. Donor and sponsors became personal friends as well. His friends and supporters are legion. Burlington’s Man of the year, Bud Gordon described it best: “To know him is to love him”. We all had grown to love this man…and his wonderful family.

An example of his love and generosity: He gave Helen and I the keys to his summer cottage to use whenever we felt like it. Some wonderful times were had, both winter and summer with the family. Watching the girls grow up was like having a second family to us.

During all these years, Len, Helen and myself took several fishing trips, to the Catskills, Penna,Blue Fox Camp, the Saugeen and other Ontario rivers and streams. They were therapeutic for us and a learning experience as well, but poor Helen could never get a word in edgewise on our trips because Len and I would gab constantly, even finishing each other’s sentences! What wonderful times we had! But Helen is still in audio recovery!

With Len’s 3 year sabbatical stretching to 8 years, it was time for him to focus on family. He was to spend the next two plus years enjoying time, both with Jennifer and the girls, plus grand daughter, Fiona and get some serious fishing time with his many pals.

When he got the terrible news last August, he made up his mind to beat the odds. Given 4 months he persevered, with tremendous help from his family to survive at home for eight months. That is a testament to his loving family,  his survival instincts, courage and determination, which he has always exhibited. He is an inspiration to all.

Last December, he was honored by the Niagara Chapter for his accomplishments, at which time he gave a short, but inspiring speech. In it he said: “Focus on Clean Water as your brand. The pubic grasps that. Keep up the struggle to conserve and protect the environment and be proud of what have done so far. ” He pledged to join a group to fish the Catskills in June 2014 and to hold his second grandchild in his arms in May of this year.  Sadly, those promises cannot be met, but he will be with us in spirit for a Chapter Golf Day in June.  He was a lousy golfer, hey, nobody’s perfect! So we had plans to work with him on that.

He did say last December, that he had enjoyed the last 2 years so much and developed his skills to such a degree, that he could be content to leave on that high note. He was at peace with his God.

We thank God for his mercy in giving Len a relatively pain-free passing and we also thank Jennifer and his entire family for their faith and strength during this difficult time.

Bill Christmas
April 2, 2014