Graveside service and inurnment will be 10 a.m. Saturday, August 1, 2026 at West Point Cemetery, Amsterdam, Missouri. Gathering and lunch after the service will be held at Daily Objective Distillery in Amsterdam. Arrangements under the direction of the Schowengerdt Funeral Chapel (660-679-6555) in Butler, Missouri. Contributions to West Point Cemetery. Online condolences www.schowengerdtchapel.com.
Leslie Bartley (Buster) Chambers, 90, of Merwin, Missouri, passed away Saturday, July 18, 2026, at Field Pointe Assisted Living in St. Joseph, Missouri. He was born November 5, 1935, in Watonga, Oklahoma to A. Leslie and Virginia (Bartley) Chambers. In fourth grade, his family moved to the Brookside neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri.
Leslie graduated in 1953 from Southwest High School in Kansas City, then from the University of Missouri. He worked for the Columbia Police Department during his time there. Leslie was a studious man and led an adventurous life. He wanted to be a Highway Patrolman but became a Rancher when his father died unexpectedly. Leslie married Beverly Beadles in 1961 and they honeymooned in Steamboat Springs, Colorado before moving to Rocking Chair Ranch in Merwin. They had 3 daughters, Cyndy, Janet and Debbie.
In 1967 they moved to Ft. Carson, Colorado while his guard unit prepared to deploy to Vietnam. Leslie spent a year in Vietnam as the Field Artillery Unit Commander with the Service Battery, 7th Battalion, 13th Artillery. He documented his tour in letters he sent home and through hundreds of photos that he took. He returned to Merwin and a few years later (1973) accepted a full-time position with the Kansas National Guard in Hiawatha, Kansas as the 2nd Battalion Commanding Officer, 130th Field Artillery, 69th Infantry Brigade. Leslie retired from the military with 33 years service. Then in 1978, he bought a dry cleaning business and moved his family to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, an area he always enjoyed. After selling his business, Leslie worked operating big trucks and heavy equipment. In the summer of 1981, he joined the “Last Hope Alaska Partnership” and spent 6 weeks drilling for gold in the remote wilderness of the Stony River area of Alaska. He returned for another 6 weeks in Feb of 1982. Leslie kept a daily journal documenting their hardships and adventures. He went to work for TIC out of Steamboat Springs and spent the next 7 years roaming the remote areas of the Northwestern United States, hauling massive equipment to and from various mines and industrial sites. In 1989, after the birth of his first grandchild, he “retired” and moved back to Merwin where he ran the ranch until 2022 when he was moved to St. Joseph.
Throughout his life he loved flying his (small planes) Cessnas and being involved in anything aviation related. Early on, he was a member of a group called the Flying Farmers who traveled together around the U.S. Leslie attended many International Cessna 180 annual fly-ins. He was a member of the EAA and at one time was even building a Kit Fox. Leslie was a member of the Young Eagles, an organization that gave children the opportunity to experience flying in a small plane. He loved his flying buddies.
Leslie enjoyed fast motorcycles and fast cars in his single days. The family often went snow skiing, including many trips with the Shannon’s and the Fritz’s. He was an avid reader, enjoyed Hillbilly music, and explored every new technological gadget that came out, but wasn’t fond of Windows 11! He was an avid investor and could talk in great detail about the companies in his portfolio.
Leslie is survived by his children, Cyndy (Bob) Mahlandt, Janet (Don) Garnett and Debbie (Devin) Kanapilly; grandchildren, Cord Lane, Kelsey Mahlandt, Taylor (Erin) Mahlandt, Amanda and Elizabeth Kanapilly; a great-granddaughter, Ellery; and one cousin, Preston Chambers. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Jim.
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