[Organizers] Sad news regarding Linda Leslie

[Luke Donforth]

 Hello all,

This has already gone around on the callers page for shared weight, but I
thought the organizer page should hear it as well for anyone not on both.

Linda Leslie passed away this past weekend.

​Her husband has requested that this not go on FB; but instead be shared
via e-mail and word of mouth.​

​I'm one of several people incredibly saddened by this loss. Linda was a
fount of warmth and encouragement.  ​

​Chris Ricciotti spoke eloquently about this tragedy:


To the dance community:

It is with great sadness that I am passing on the news that Linda Leslie passed
away Sunday evening (Feb 11).   She called on Thursday night at the Concord
Scout House, Friday evening at the Rehoboth Contra Dance, and then again on
Saturday evening at our own contra dance in Jamaica Plain.  She called an
amazing dance program for all of us those evenings!

Linda had been having difficulty breathing during the past week or so,
particularly after walking, and this became increasing worse over the past
few evenings.  On Sunday evening, she was taken by ambulance to her local
Emergency Room and she passed away in the ambulance on the way to the
hospital.

Her husband Bob Golder has requested that Linda’s passing NOT be posted on
Facebook.  Email and word of mouth is fine, but he prefers this not to
become a Facebook event.

As a caller, she took the love and the joy she experienced as a dancer, and
transformed the dance community every where she went, touching us all with
her lovely soft spoken presence that would make you feel embraced with that
love she had when she danced.  To many of us, she was like our dancing
“mom” or “grandmom”, always a warm smile, always ready with humor, always
looking out to make sure everyone was having a good time, and feeling safe
within the room.

In our community, she was a bridge builder, and a role model of what good
dancing and community building are all about.  She was also a HUGE advocate
of gender-free dancing.  She was one of the key people who helped us
connect with and be an accepted part of the greater community of dancers,
and encouraged us to share our love of dancing with others as a way to help
build those connections.

She was also a part of helping us to build the strong relationship we have
with NEFFA, being a support to our fundraising food booth, being present at
meetings we had with NEFFA as we worked on being more of a part of the
greater dance community, helping us to navigate the issues that were
occasionally a part of this process, as she helped us to better understand
the greater dance community, as they came to know us

At our dance camps, as many of you know, her presence was always a welcome
treat, whether she came as a dancer simply because she loved our community
so much, or when she would come as a caller to build our community, and the
bonds that go with it, as she shared her passion and love of music and
dancing.

And of course, we cannot forget her delightful husband Bob, who has also
been a warm personality, much loved in our community, also sharing his love
of dancing with us, not only as a dancer, but as a caller, having written
some of my favorite dances along the way.  Bob has also being a great NEFFA
advocate helping us many times along the way.  His warm smile and
delightful presence has brought a lot of joy to us a lot over the years,
and he continues to be a part of the family that makes our dance a special
place to be.

I know we will all miss Linda very much.  It’s very difficult to lose
someone who has had such a presence in our lives and who has brought us so
much, and who was a big part of our dancing family.  As we find out more
information about memorial service arrangements, we will let you know,
along with any memorial dances that may be organized in her honor.

In the mean time, when we come together to dance, let us honor her memory
by sharing that joy she brought to each of us, with each other, and let us
dance in  honor of all our friends and loved ones who have gone before us.
 It is moments like this that are so precious – and Linda was certainly one
of them!

In sorrow and gratitude for having the honor of knowing Linda,

Chris Ricciotti

 ​

​Linda's husband Bob wrote in to the callers list:

Thank you everyone for your kind words and warm memories of Linda Leslie,
and your concern for me and the rest of her family. I am alternating
between grieving, setting priorities on behalf of our family, and quickly
making many legal, financial, and remembrance decisions. It is an extremely
challenging time, but I have family with me and supportive friends nearby,
and will ask for assistance as needed. Our folk arts, music, and dance
friends have always been a great source of joy for Linda and me. There are
no immediate observances or memorial services. At some future date measured
in weeks, or a month, or more from now, there will be a celebration of Linda
 Leslie's life.  … Bob Golder ​
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