Mr. John LeMoyne Chambard, 92, of Raleigh, NC peacefully passed away on December 12, 2022. He was the son of the late LeMoyne Jacot Chambard and Dorthy Wood. John was born on January 10, 1930 in Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from John Marshall High School in Los Angeles and attended the University of New Mexico graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

John married his high school sweetheart Esther Felix on August 30, 1952 in Hollywood, CA, and they recently celebrated their 70th anniversary with their children at their home in Raleigh, NC. Their union was blessed with six children. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Regine (James) Klecka of Georgetown, TX.

John is survived by his wife, Esther and their five children, Renee Chambard of Raleigh, NC; Lisa Chambard of Raleigh, NC; Leslie (Patrick) Coelho of Orlando, FL; Abby (George) McGregor of San Diego, CA; and John (Trisha) Chambard of Cypress, TX; grandchildren: Esther Klecka of CO, Megan Chambard (Chris Flaherty) of NC, Marisela (Jeremy) Tome of TX, Lawerence (Delaney) Buesing III of TX, Joshua Klecka of MI, Jonathan Coelho of NY, Laura (Steven) Ellis of TX, Michael Coelho of FL, Steven Coelho of FL, Catherine Coelho of FL, Kayla Buesing of TX, John McGregor of CA, Jack Chambard of TX, Lily Coelho of FL, Emily Coelho of FL, and Sydney Chambard of TX; and 10 great-grandchildren.

While married, John served our country in the United States Army for two years and worked for DuPont for 31 years in West Virginia, Delaware and Texas where he retired early in 1985 at the age 55. Three months after retirement he formed two companies, Colorado Pioneer Land Corporation and Chambard Associates, Inc. which kept him busy until “retiring from retirement” in January 2001.

John and Esther stayed very active and committed to family. They traveled with their Airstream from state to state across the entire country to be there for their very large extended family.

John’s love for “how things work,” gave him unlimited projects on lists that still exist today. Growing up with a father who taught him about working on cars influenced his life as a teenager in building and racing cars in the hot rodding days to piloting his own plane for his smaller family.

When his family got too large, he sold his plane in 1977, and took up sailing which was a constant for the rest of his life. In 2020, John took his last sailing voyage in his beloved Albemarle Sound at the Outer Banks, NC and co-piloted his last airplane ride in a Remos GX (light sports plane) at Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas.

In 2006, John wrote and self-published an enjoyable short read about his experience with automobiles, A Teenage Experience* that captured the attention of The American Hot Rod Foundation and a book review by hotrodhotline.com giving his book 7 out of 8 sparkplugs. John’s life was the epitome of a life lived to the fullest.

John represented the Lewis Scholarship Fund for the Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. Over the years, he enjoyed reading and responding to thank you letters from scholarship recipients in the college Music Department.

A viewing will be held from 3:00 - 4:00 PM on Monday, December 19, 2022, at Renaissance Funeral Home, 7615 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC 27615. Family and friends are welcome to attend.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 12:45 PM on Thursday, December 29, 2022, the family will receive visitors 45 min prior, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 2718 Overbrook Drive, Raleigh, NC. Graveside services with Military Honors will take place on Jan.10th 2023 at 1:00pm at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, CA.

In lieu of flowers, John’s wish is to support our military and first responders who protect and defend our country. Please consider donating to: Tunnel to Towers Foundation

Since 9/11, Tunnel to Towers have been helping America’s heroes by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. We are also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and aiding the victims of major U.S. disasters.

* If interested in a copy of the “A Teenage Experience” by John L Chambard, please reach out to his son John at jchambard@gmail.com