260 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 80 PART 2 MARCH 2022
Leonard Carroll Dudley
Len Dudley died peacefully on April 26, 2021 at his
home in North Vancouver at the age of 91 with his
family by his side. He was predeceased by his wife
Lorna Kathleen Dudley (June 8, 2012). Len is survived
by his three sons Alan (Andrea), Brian (Cristy)
and Darrell (Debbie) as well as grandchildren Tess
(Nicholas), Tamara, Ariana, Kayla, Serena and Earlene,
and great-grandson Oliver.
Len was born in 1929 and has been described as a child of the Depression.
His work career started with part-time jobs at Safeway, the local movie theatre
and a CPR ferry, and as a whistle-punk supervising the loading of logging
trucks on Vancouver Island. This gave Len a down-to-earth view of life
and a strong work ethic. This strong work ethic stayed with him throughout
his education and law career. He graduated from UBC with a law degree and
spent most of his 55 years practising law with Paine Edmonds, from the
mid-1950s to 2010.
In his early years at Paine Edmonds, Len practised with Paul Paine,
Kemp Edmonds, Allan Williams, Allan Mercer, Elmer Yusep and Lyle Woodley,
and later with Jim Taylor. Throughout Len’s career, he attracted many
clients through his involvement in outdoor activities. These included
Scouts Canada, for whom he became legal counsel for 35 years.
Len was a soccer referee for many years, refereeing soccer games into his
70s. He served as secretary of the Vancouver Area Soccer Referee Association
in the late 1970s and early 1980s. One of his more memorable games
refereeing a soccer match occurred sometime around 1990. Len was sucker
punched from behind by a disgruntled player. The punch broke his cheek
bones, blackened his eyes and left Len looking like a passivist in a boxing
match. He recovered without any long-term effects to the knowledge of his
law partners.
A current lawyer at Paine Edmonds recalls that Len was a stern disciplinarian
on the soccer pitch. Len’s practice was to give the players a game-
opening speech as to his expectations regarding conduct and behaviour on
the soccer pitch. This speech was described by the player/lawyer as “Len’s
Lecture”.
Len was a dedicated participant in the Salvation Army’s pro bono program,
offering legal advice on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Len was
also a regular blood donor. At one time, he told me the number of blood