Obituary: Leslie, Francis Woodward
Age 91
Colonel, USAF, Retired Francis passed away unexpectedly and peacefully on September 14, 2014, while visiting family in Spokane, WA.
He was born on February 28th, 1923, in New York City, NY, to James Norman Leslie and Mary Woodward Leslie.
He spent his early childhood in New England dividing his time between his parents’ home in Boston, MA, and his grandparents’ farm near Rutland, VT.
He graduated from West High School in Washington DC in 1941, and enlisted in the US Army Air Corps shortly afterward.
He served in World War II as a B-17 navigator with the 98th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, flying missions from North Africa and Italy against targets in Germany, Austria, and Italy.
He was awarded numerous decorations including the Air Medal for his European exploits.
Following VE Day, he was transferred to the Pacific Theater of Operations and served in China, the Philippines and Okinawa.
When the war against Japan ended, he elected to stay in the Air Force as part of the newly formed Strategic Air Command.
He flew airborne nuclear alert missions in B-47s and B-52s finishing his military career in 1965 at Fairchild AFB, in Spokane, WA.
At an age considered too old to be a student, he went back to college completing his Bachelor’s degree at Gonzaga University and continuing his studies for a Master of Science Degree at Ohio State University.
He subsequently started a second career with the US Federal Service hiring on as a Budget Analyst with the Department of Labor in Washington DC.
He served in a variety of other Federal Service positions in the Nation’s Capital ultimately retiring again at the age of 70.
He continued to reside in Alexandria, VA, until the present day.
He had a very active “third age” and travelled extensively to such places as Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Germany, Russia and Eastern Europe.
Together with his second wife, Anne, he operated a silhouette portrait business called the Paper Paintbrush keeping alive an art form popular in early American Colonial times.
Dressed in late 17th century attire and assuming the persona of people of that era, he and Anne travelled up and down the Eastern Seaboard participating in many juried crafts shows and historical re-enactments.
He became interested in his family’s Scot’s roots and immersed himself in all things Scottish including folk dancing, fiddle and bagpipe music, clan history and heraldry, even studying Gaelic language and attending many Clan Leslie gatherings, decked out in full tartan regalia, at Highland Games throughout the United States.
For a time he “snow birded” in Tucson, AZ, inviting his children to come and share the warm, sunny winters with him.
He was an outdoor-loving man and incredibly remained active in backpacking, fishing, hunting, skiing, bicycling sailing and canoeing into his 70s and 80s.
He participated in a family Par 3 golf tournament as recently as last year at the tender age of 90.
His happiest days were those spent in military service and those spent in the woods or on the water someplace.
He had an encyclopedic knowledge of American military history.
He enjoyed attending concerts at the Kennedy Center, Washington DC, dancing at Gatsby’s Tavern in Alexandria, VA, and volunteering as a docent at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Plantation.
He was a great supporter of historical preservation and nature conservancy causes.
His professed ambition in life was to become an interesting person and live an interesting life.
He accomplished both goals well.
He shared all his passions in life with his children and he will be greatly missed and long remembered by them.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Emily Midghall Leslie; his second wife, Anne Reinhart Leslie; his brothers James and John Leslie, and his sister, Ann McDonald.
He is survived by his brother Robert; his children, Thomas, John, William, Robert, Anne (Leslie) Hooper, and Richard; his stepsons Doug, Travis, Eric and Neil Keller; as well as numerous nephews, nieces, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A private Funeral Mass will be celebrated for Francis in Spokane, WA.
Interment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.