Leslie Earl Inman, Jr.

Oct 17, 1938 - Apr 25, 2017

Leslie E. Inman passed away peacefully on April 25, 2017 after a protracted battle with lymphoma. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Diane; two daughters: Casey Inman (Kowitt) and Jill Braddock; as well as five grandchildren: Quinn, Nolan, and Holden Kowitt; and Eli and Gia Braddock. He is also survived by his brother Tom Inman of Clayton.

A native Californian, he was born in Oakland, attended Bret Harte Elementary, and graduated from Hayward High School. He received his B.S. in Business from UC Berkeley in 1961 and after a six month stint in the Coast Guard, he went to work in sales for Crown Zellerbach and later Zellerbach Paper Co. In 1965 he received his MBA from San Jose State University and in 1967 started a lifetime of small business ownership by purchasing Edy’s in Berkeley. He enjoyed participating in Berkeley Rotary and playing basketball at the Y. In 1978, he sold the restaurant and went into wholesale paper distribution as Paper World with his longtime friend and partner Walt Bradish. Later he would own a Deck the Walls in Broadway Plaza and run a Mack Wall Bed sales office in Lafayette. His final venture was a partnership In Western Wildlife Gallery of San Francisco, affording him opportunities to travel to art and decoy auctions all over the country.

Ever an active sportsman, Les enjoyed water skiing, snow skiing, golf and tennis until his health began to fail. He loved travelling with his wife and especially enjoyed living for seven years at Lake Tahoe where he served on the board of Lakeshore Terrace in Incline Village and was instrumental in accomplishing a full renovation of the property. He was a lifelong supporter of Cal athletics and enjoyed season tickets to football and basketball games for many years.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Lafayette Veterans Hall on August 6, 2017 from 1-4 PM. All are welcome. Donations may be made to Hospice of the East Bay or the Lymphoma Research Foundation.