Lester Grizzell, known as “Les the Barber,” of Ben Lomond died last week in Corte Madera after a long battle with lymphoma. He was 82.
Mr. Grizzell was born in St. Louis on July 11, 1927. He moved with his family to Southern California at an early age, where his father, Lester, also a barber, opened a shop in Hawthorne. When he was 14, his father died, and his mother, Regina, opened and ran The Malt Shop to support the family.
Mr. Grizzell joined the U.S. Army in 1945 and was on a troop ship en route to Europe when the war ended.
After the war, he attended barber school and took over the family barbershop, where he worked until 1960. In 1954, he married Carol Matz. The family moved to Ben Lomond in 1960 and established Les’s Village Barber Shop.
Multiple generations of San Lorenzo Valley residents received their first haircut from Mr. Grizzell, and many remember getting bubble gum after every haircut — as long as they sat still.
For adults, the barber shop was a hotbed of conservative political conversation and local information. Active-duty military, missionaries and others frequently got free haircuts in appreciation for their service. Even “hippies” who told Mr. Grizzell they were changing their ways and getting a short haircut in preparation for a new job received a free trim.
During the storm of 1982, the Love Creek Slide was about half a mile from the Grizzells’ home. Survivors of the slide initially made their way there, and Mr. Grizzell notified authorities of the disaster. Only after he was interviewed on a national morning news show days later did his family know the Grizzells were safe.
Mr. Grizzell was an active volunteer and served as a Vestry member at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Ben Lomond, a Cub Scout leader with the Boy Scouts of America and an American Legion leader.
In recent years, he dedicated himself to Valley Churches United Missions, where he was an honorary board member with the organization. He gave more than 16,405 hours of service as a VCUM volunteer since 1989. He was also a volunteer firefighter with the Ben Lomond Volunteer Fire Department.
His daughter, Mary O’Connell, and her husband, John, provided special care for Mr. Grizzell in his last years.
Survivors include his daughter, Mary O’Connell, and her husband, John, of Sausalito; son, Paul Grizzell, and his wife, Janice, of Woodbury, Minn.; and two grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Carol Grizzell, who died of cancer in 1984.
A memorial service will be Jan. 2 at St. Andrews Church in Ben Lomond. An exact time is pending.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mr. Grizzell’s name may be sent to Valley Churches United Missions, P.O. Box 367, Ben Lomond 95005.
