The same day that I linked to a post about the amazing improvements in lifespan in the last 60 years or so, my friend and former colleague died. Younger than I, Leslee was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) two years ago.
ALS is rare and it has shocked me to know four women who have been diagnosed with it since 2003. Two of the four, Karen and Leslee, lived -- and died -- in the same very small town (fewer than 2,300 residents).
When the part-time aide at the library where I worked retired, the decision was made to create the position of children's librarian. Leslee was the original hire and she held the post until taking an early retirement a few months after her diagnosis. She was an extremely talented woman:
Jon, you have been the luckiest man on the face of the earth. But you knew that.
ALS is rare and it has shocked me to know four women who have been diagnosed with it since 2003. Two of the four, Karen and Leslee, lived -- and died -- in the same very small town (fewer than 2,300 residents).
When the part-time aide at the library where I worked retired, the decision was made to create the position of children's librarian. Leslee was the original hire and she held the post until taking an early retirement a few months after her diagnosis. She was an extremely talented woman:
- a member of the Iowa All-State Choir as a high-school junior.
- one of the founders of "Sisters in Song," a women's trio that performed in our area.
- a preschool teacher.
- a choir director.
- a clown for Christ.
- a quiet woman who could lose herself in goofy roles in the county fair meller-dramers.
- a skilled storyteller whose husband built a portable puppet theater (at their expense) for her use, as librarian and just as an all-around giving soul.
- an artisan who quilted, stamped, wrote, and kept discovering new outlets for her creativity. Like swing dancing!
- her Norwegian heritage.
- her home, a place she and Jon loved and nurtured throughout their married life.
- her sons, who found their niches as their parents did before them, and who are making a difference.
- her grandchildren (lucky Michael for getting here first and knowing her longest).
- her faith.
- her life partner, Jon.
Jon, you have been the luckiest man on the face of the earth. But you knew that.