James L. Leslie, 86, Marshfield, passed away in his home surrounded by his beloved family on Wednesday, May 13, 2020.
James was born on October 25, 1933 in Cook County, IL, one of 15 children, to William and Genevieve (Skeel) Leslie. He was drafted into the United States Army serving during the Korean War. He had various jobs in the Milwaukee area including, pinsetter, short order cook and meat cutter. He later moved to Wittenberg to begin his job in forestry and was employed at Hamel’s Forest Products until his retirement.
His first marriage ended in divorce. He then married Elizabeth Lemple in 1962 and she died in 1984. On January 7, 1985 he married Carol Beckman Allen, the love of his life. They got to spend many wonderful years together building a strong foundation for their family until her death on April 12, 2018.
James was larger than life and always had a story to share. He was a true Wisconsin sports fan, following the Badgers, Packers and Brewers. He also enjoyed fishing, visiting the casino and attending the Hodag Country Festival in Rhinelander with Carol for many years.
He is survived by his children, Bobby Dale Leslie (Gayle) of Milwaukee, Genevieve Leslie of Kentucky, Cheryl Leslie of Georgia, James John Leslie of Eau Claire, Lisa Ann Leslie of Marshfield and Bruce Allen of Washington and a daughter-in-law, Kerry Malicki. He is also survived by grandchildren, Jennifer Holmes of Madison, Kara Bauknecht (Dakota) of Marshfield and Gabrielle Potter of Marshfield and great grandchildren, Sebastian of Milwaukee and Asher and Maddie of Marshfield. He is further survived by brothers and sisters, Harry, Jeff, Genevieve, Mildred, Vivian, Dorothy, Carol, Marilyn, Jayne and Bea.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wives, a son, Alen, brothers, Bill, Tom and Frankie and a sister, Kate.
Author: News Desk
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