BY CATHY AND WALTER HARTMAN | OCTOBER 23, 2020

Leslie was born on October 23, 1973, and we gather to remember her on her 47th birthday.  Thank you all for gathering here on this cold October evening in the park (because of COVID-19) to remember her and grieve her loss.

Leslie was born in Denton at Flow Hospital, and, of course, she arrived just before midnight, establishing her night-owl tendencies from the beginning. Her precocious nature showed through early through her super verbal skills, talking early and reading at four years old. She attended Denton Public Schools, starting at Borman Elementary, then on to Calhoun Middle, and Denton High School, graduating a year early. She later earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of North Texas in Psychology.

Many of you who met her as an adult may not know about her years as a serious student of ballet, studying with Hugh Nini. She attended classes 5 days a week from age 8 to her senior year in high school, and often had rehearsals on weekends as well. She danced featured roles in performances as she reached her early teen years with Nini choreographing several pieces for her and a partner. He recently wrote that she “brought spirit to the music, the steps, and artistry” to her performances. She also made close friends there including her friend, Meredith.

During her college years, Leslie was a passenger in a terrible automobile crash, leaving her with many life-threatening injuries including many broken bones, internal injuries, and a devastating spinal cord injury. After 2 months in intensive care and almost 4 additional months in hospitals, she was released to learn how to live her life in a wheelchair. Her courage, resilience, and spirit allowed her to survive the tough adjustment years. We honor her courage that allowed us to have her presence in our lives for an additional 25 years.

Somewhere along the way, Leslie found a passion for creating art glass. She built a studio and acquired the needed tools, then developed her skills to design and create beautiful pieces, large and small, for clients. One wonderful person she called her “patron saint” ordered multiple large pieces for installations in a home she was building in Missouri. Leslie also enjoyed working with Christie Wood and the Denton Art Glass group who created a scholarship in Leslie’s memory at the Stained Glass Association of America. We wish now that we had more of her beautiful glass pieces, but we treasure the ones we collected through the years.

Leslie loved all animals. Throughout her life, she always had dogs, cats, or even baby squirrels to care for and raise. She credited her dog, Cheyenne, with saving her life during those difficult, post-auto-accident transition years, providing her with middle of the night comfort and unconditional love. Later, she found Bonita, the Goose, and Meo Kitty, all lucking out when Leslie adopted them. They had such a “cushy” life with her with lots of love and home cooked food. Wherever Leslie went, if there were animals around, they found her.

As Leslie’s friends, you know that she connected to people. She loved her friends and was a loyal friend to so many. She sensed when you needed someone to listen, or needed a hug. She was there for you when you faced stressful times in your life and actively listened to you, sometimes bringing her dark humor to make you laugh. Her kindness, never judging others for their problems, inspired me to be better at treating each person with kindness. In spite of her many physical limitations and continuing pain from her injuries, she never complained. She celebrated life with her friends and could often be caught putting on a wig, a hat, a mustache, in fun and mugging for a camera with her friends. She loved little twinkly lights and kept them lighted year round on her patio and around windows and furniture. I know that many of you, her friends, could add more insights and memories to this short list.

Walter and I learned so much about courage from our daughter and were so proud of how she lived as an adult. Leslie left this world on August 26, 2020. We hear about quality vs. quantity of life. We wanted her with us for many more years, but in spite of her physical challenges, we celebrate the quality of her life as a gift you, her many friends, gave to her. You brought love, support, and fun times to her life. Thank you for that and for coming out in the cold North wind to remember Leslie with us.