Lesly Désarmé was born, in Maissade Haiti, to Archange and Justine Désarmé on December 15, 1966, according to official records. According to his mother, he was born on November 15, 1967. One thing we know is that the birth took place on the 15th, but our faith is with Mom, every time. Either way we always celebrated both days because Lesly was the kind of man worthy of an additional birthday celebration. Lesly was born into a fully loving family; he was born the 8th and youngest of Justine and Archange’s children. He was a treasured younger brother and son.

When Lesly was a young child, Mom moved to the United States along with his brother Benoir looking for opportunities for the family. Not long after, his dad took ill and passed on to his eternal rest, leaving the Désarmé children in Haiti without a father and with their mother far away. Mom redoubled her efforts to bring her children with her and was able to first bring her daughters, Clarelle and Franzie to the U.S. while the rest of the boys awaited. Lesly and three other brothers were left in the care of their eldest brother, Jonas. Shortly after, Jonas was granted an important opportunity abroad, and the four youngest brothers were left with relatives to care for them at the ages of 14, 12, 10, and 8. They were blessed with a secondary mother, Seda, to care for them, but it was neither an easy nor pleasant time in their lives. Lesly vowed that when he got older and had the means that he would repay Seda’s kindness towards them and return the care she had shown.

In June 1976 Lesly, Edner, Jean-Marc and Erole finally arrived in the United States and joined with the rest of their family in Brooklyn New York. While living and adjusting to a new way of life and a new language, Lesly was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia and given 2 years to live. Justine would not accept this without first taking it to the LORD and putting her faith in Him. Justine called the church elders and asked them to lay hands and Lesly and pray. To this day no trace of Sickle Cell has again been detected in Lesly’s blood; however, his children born more than 15 years after this prayer are both carriers of the trait. God was not through with Lesly; he had 48 more years ahead of him.

Lesly did not waste the additional time he was granted on earth. He was a hard worker in and out of school and attended Albany College of Pharmacy where he learned the profession and became a pharmacist. During his fourth year in pharmacy school, he met and began dating the love of his life, Yolanda. They married on March 29, 1992, and became the dynamic duo you all know them to be. They teamed up to undertake many of their endeavors and you could readily see that you were either getting double for your trouble or double the trouble…

Anyways, they were married for 34 wonderful years, though as Yolanda would say some of the years were just full of wonder. Lesly and Yolanda had two beautiful children, Anyssa and Marc, making the duo a family of four. “The Core Four” transformed into “The Fab Five” when Marc and Erin married. The family once again expanded with the birth of their first grandchild, Adaline Elizabeth, in 2024.

Lesly was also a dedicated and principled pharmacist throughout his 35-year career. After graduating from Albany College of Pharmacy in 1991, he worked for various companies, if you name a major pharmacy brand here in New York; he’s probably worked for them at some point. One of Lesly’s career highlights was in 2008 when he opened his own pharmacy, “Lez Rx: A Pharmacy in Accord with Nature”. There Lesly was able to blend his training in pharmacy with his love of natural medicine and his love for people. He regularly took opportunities to share natural remedies with his clients and share his love for the LORD. In this place he was also able to make room for sharing what he had with others. He made dear lifelong friends, and he also offered work and enrichment opportunities to his children, nieces, nephews and family friends. Lez Rx was open for five years; in 2013 he sold his business and was able to more exclusively focus on mission work, natural medicine and his family. He scaled down his Pharmacy work, but remained available at the Ellenville Regional Hospital, where he did per-diem work for many years and Directed the Pharmacy Department at a critical time.

Lesly was the kind of person you only come across once in a lifetime. He was reserved and humble but at the same time very intelligent and had a larger-than-life personality. He largely believed in only two things: First and foremost, God and fidelity to all things that his faith and heart told him were true. Second, his family. PERIOD!

Lesly put God first in everything that he did. Every thought step, action and deed were to bring glory to God’s name. A lifelong member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Lesly was an ordained Deacon since 2007 and along with his son, they were ordained Elders together in 2021. He was also the faithful Director and leader of the Ellenville SDA Prison Ministry for over 32 years, preaching and ministering to those who were imprisoned as well as anyone and everyone he encountered. He was never shy to speak on what he believed and readily shared the message of salvation. Even in his moment of his death the Bible charts that lined the walls of his home spoke to those who were supporting his family in our time of grief. We pray seeds of faith were sown in those moments and that there will be a few extra jewels on his crown in heaven due to his tireless ministry to God throughout his lifetime.

His family, friends, his fellow man and keeping his word were also dearly important to Lesly. There was never a single family member or a person who needed help that could not receive it. Lesly did indeed keep his childhood promise to Seda and as soon as he was able, he arrange to take care of her in Haiti both financially and physically for the rest of her life. Lesly was also the kind of man who would drop whatever he was doing to help others. No task was too big; no task was too insignificant. If you needed help changing your car oil, putting up a deck in your house in Florida or if you ever needed a place to send your child for the summer, whatever the reason, Uncle Lesly was only a phone call away.

Lesly was a pharmacist by trade and education, but he was a true master craftsman. With the help of friends and teachers along the way he learned nearly every skill imaginable. Lesly knew how to sew, cook, garden, fix cars, build, do plumbing, electrical work or repair just about anything. If he didn’t know how to do it himself, he was willing to learn or would find just the right expert who knew how to help. Lesly used his talents for the Lord as well as for his family. He was willing to use those skills to help anyone in need. He took a number of trips to Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamacia, Dominica, Guyana, Cuba and other countries in missionary endeavors, building and rebuilding after natural disasters, but he also took countless trips to towns right here in New York, Georgia and Florida to help his family and friends. He was someone who could always be counted on to help because he truly embodied the saying, “What would Jesus do?” Oh, and so did his wardrobe! He was often seen with an “I Love Jesus” baseball cap or a t-shirt proudly announcing his devotion to God with a beloved Bible text. He was not shy about his love and devotion to the word of God and shown that in his life and actions.

On the morning of May 13, 2026, Lesly passed away peacefully in his sleep due to recently uncovered cardiac issues. He now rests in Jesus. He was preceded in death by his parents, Archange and Justine; his second mother, Seda; his mother-in-law, Mercedes; his sister-in-law, Sharon; his nephew, Timothy; and his godchild, Chris (Molly).

He is lovingly remembered by his devoted wife, Yolanda; his daughter, Anyssa; his son, Marc, and daughter-in-law, Erin; and his cherished granddaughter, Adaline. He is also survived by his siblings: Jonas and Rosanna; Benoir and Suzzele; Clarelle and Ishmael; Franzie and Emmanuel; Erole; Jean-Marc and Mireille; Edner and June; and Gilbert and Bertha, as well as his best friend, Jerry and Irveline. He also leaves behind a host of nieces and nephews, including his two Goddaughters: Dr. Catherina Lubin and Sephorah.

His legacy of faith, love, and service will live on in all who knew him. Well done, good and faithful servant!

Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 21, 2026 from 5 pm - 8 pm, at Colonial Memorial Funeral Home, 396 State Route 52, Woodbourne, NY 12788. Livestream Link to Visitation: https://player.funeralvue.com/events/4sa5u22j/player

A second visitation will be held the following day, Friday, May 22, 2026, from 9 am - 10:30 am, at the Middletown Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 70 Highland Ave, Middletown, NY 10940 with a funeral service beginning at 10:30 am. Interment at Hillside Cemetery in Middletown, NY to follow.