Leslie, Janet C. former teacher and advocate, passed away on July 25th. Janet was born on November 2, 1936 in Falls City, Nebraska. She graduated from high school at the age of 16, then enrolled at Nebraska Wesleyan University. She met her husband Bob Leslie there. They were married June 5, 1957 and were married 46 years before Bob's death in 2003. Following her graduation with a BA in Education in 1958, Bob and Janet moved west to California where both taught at Newport Beach Harbor High School. Later they moved to the San Francisco Bay area to support Bob's new budding sales career and began raising their three sons. Bob's career with Josten's ultimately brought the family to Minnesota; first to Minnetonka in 1969, and then to Shorewood and the shores of Lake Minnetonka in 1976. A friend and inspiration to many, Janet was active in many community organizations and was a tireless activist and donor to many women's rights organizations including Women's Foundation of Minnesota, The Advocates for Human Rights as well as Planned Parenthood. In her free time, Janet enjoyed tending to her gardens, book clubs, traveling, wine cruises on their 1947 Chris Craft and sunsets off of the Big Sur coast. Preceded in death by her husband Bob, Janet is survived by her children Steven (Christina), Dave (Katie) and Mark (Karleen), six grandchildren who she adored (Quinn, Elise, Rob, Grace, Hope, Elena) and her sister Joan Lanning (Larry). The family will host a casual celebration of Janet's life at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Blvd. in Chaska on Sunday, September 4 from 2-4 PM. Memorial donations preferred to the University of MN Landscape Arboretum (arb.umn.edu/) Development Office, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Foundation, P.O. Box 860080, Minneapolis, MN 55486-0082.

Published on August 7, 2022