Obituary of Leslie Lyle Excell

GENEVA - On April 23, 2023, the world lost a very special gentleman. Leslie Excell, 84, of Geneva, NY, passed away Sunday afternoon at Geneva General Hospital holding hands with his loving wife of over 60 years, Linda, and surrounded by three generations of family. His devotion to family and insurmountable work ethic will never be forgotten. Les was born in Waterloo, NY to Leslie R. Excell and Marion Secor Excell. He attended Romulus Central School and it was in Romulus that he later met his wife, Linda. They married in 1962 and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in June of 2022. Les was a self-proclaimed "Jack of all trades, master of none", though many who knew him would remark that the way he stood by and cared for his family was something that he had mastered. Over the years he worked at American Can Co. in Geneva, NY as a machinist. He also was a school bus driver for the Geneva CSD from 1967-1995. He is remembered fondly by many alumni. Les was a Real Estate Agent/Broker for Henry Shepard Smith Co. He and his wife, Linda owned and operated Clark's Motel for 40 years in Geneva, NY. No matter the weather, chances are if you passed by the property, you'd see Les out on his mower, raking, shoveling, or his least favorite task, picking up the many pinecones. There was nothing Les couldn't fix and every vision that Linda had for their home and garden, Les brought to life. Some of Les' hobbies included street stock car racing which he did from the late 1980s to early 1990s at Canandaigua and Dundee speedways. He built and raced his own cars and enjoyed doing this with his son, Derek. A very proud moment for Les took place on the racetrack where Derek won his stock car race and later that night Les became champion of his race in the same car that they worked on together. Taxidermy, fishing, gardening, woodworking, metal sculpting, and antique car restoration were among Les' other passion projects. He made a mean pie, especially with his home-grown rhubarb and hand pitted cherries. He always had a story to share and made everyone he met feel welcomed. Above all, Les was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. Les is survived by his loving wife of over 60 years, Linda Louise (Henyan) Excell, their children; Leslie James Excell, Lorie (William) Driscoll III, Kimberly Excell, Derek (Jamie) Excell, and Justin Ryan Excell, grandchildren; Kelley Driscoll, Christine (Michael) Rosato, William Driscoll IV, Moriah (Hannah Rose) Stewart, Taylor (Joseph) D'Amico and Derek Excell Jr, as well as great grandchildren; Mariana Rosato, Everleigh D'Amico, Stella D'Amico and Walker Stewart. He was predeceased by his parents, Leslie R. Excell and Marion Excell. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 29th at 5:00 p.m. at Club 86 with an open invitation for family and friends to attend. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions earmarked in memory of Leslie may be sent to Ontario County ARC, 3071 County Complex Drive, Canandaigua, NY, 14424; Attn.: Michele Wistner. Condolences and remembrances may be sent to www.coegenungfuneralhome.com.