Leslie H. Champion; Retired Banker

Westlake Village resident and retired banker Leslie H. Champion died Friday after a lengthy illness. He was 73.

Champion was born March 5, 1925, in Montreal. He served two years in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.

Champion moved from Montreal to Santa Monica in 1957 to live in a warmer climate and to start his first banking job at the Bank of America, family members said. That same year, he married a teller who worked at the bank.

In 1971, Champion moved his family to Westlake Village. From late 1957 through 1989, he was a vice president and manager of City National Bank in Studio City.

He enjoyed golfing and gardening, tending 40 rose bushes in his backyard, family members said.

“It was just something he liked to do in his spare time,” Champion’s daughter, Mona Burnside, said of her father’s gardening.

He was a lifetime member at Calabasas Country Club and also enjoyed the beach. He was involved in Rotary Clubs in Santa Monica and Studio City.

Champion’s older brother, Dudley, was in the Canadian Air Force during WWII and was declared missing in action, the family said.

In addition to his daughter, Mona, of San Diego, Champion is survived by his wife, Aspasia, of Westlake Village; two sons, George of Hollywood and Dudley of Woodland Hills; a twin brother, Ross of Montreal; and two grandchildren.

Services will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Mortuary in Westlake Village.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Cancer Society in Champion’s name.