MY BEAUTIFUL MOTHER GREW UP IN WICHITA, KANSAS. SHE WROTE IN HER HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK THAT HER DREAM WAS TO TRAVEL THE WORLD. SHE MET A DASHING NAVAL OFFICER WHO WOULD LATER WORK FOR AN INTERNATIONAL COMPANY. SHE WOULD RAISE TWO CHILDREN ON 4 CONTINENTS. PICKING UP A DOG AND A HORSE ALONG THE WAY. SHE WAS A MEDIEVAL HISTORIAN, AN OXFORD SCHOLAR. SHE RAN MARATHONS IN COUNTLESS COUNTRIES. SHE WAS AN AMAZING MOM AND GRANDMA. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE GRANDCHILDREN SHE WOULD HAVE LIVED IN LONDON? PARIS? VIENNA? SHE TOOK ME TO NICE SO I COULD GO TO THE MATISSE MUSEUM (MY FAVORITE ARTIST). SHE DRAGGED ME THRU CASTLES AND MUSEUMS ACROSS EUROPE MANY TIMES. SHE KNEW THE LOUVRE SO WELL SHE COULD HAVE BEEN A TOUR GUIDE. THE MONA LISA? SNOOZEFEST. MY MOM TOOK MY BOYS TO SEE THINGS THAT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO THEM AT THAT AGE. TO PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES THAT HAD STORIES. SHE KNEW WHERE TO FIND THE BEST CROISSANTS IN PARIS. SOMETIME IN THE NEXT YEAR, WE WILL TAKE HER TO SCOTLAND BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE SHE WOULD WANT TO BE.<BR><BR>SHE WAS SMART, STOIC, ELEGANT. TOO STOIC FOR HER OWN GOOD SOMETIMES. WHEN THE NURSE WHEELED HER INTO THE HOSPITAL TWO WEEKS AGO SHE KEPT COMMENTING ON HOW CLASSY MY MOTHER WAS. LINEN PANTS, CUTE FLATS, JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF JEWELRY. WHEN I WENT TO VISIT HER I ASKED HER IF I COULD BRING HER ANYTHING FROM HER HOUSE. SHE SAID, "LIP GLOSS, BRING ME SOME LIP GLOSS!" WHEN I WENT THROUGH HER BATHROOM DRAWER SHE HAD ABOUT 47 LIP GLOSSES AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, AH YES, APPLE.......TREE. I THINK THE FIRST TIME I HEARD HER BELCH WAS IN THE HOSPITAL. SHE SURPRISED HERSELF AND SAID," OH DEAR, EXCUSE ME BUT THAT FELT GOOD." YES, MOM LET IT OUT. SHE AND MY DAD INTRODUCED US TO EVERY KIND OF SPORT, ACTIVITY YOU CAN IMAGINE. WE LEARNED TO WATER SKI ABOUT THE TIME WE COULD WALK AND WERE SKIING BLACK DIAMONDS BY THE AGE OF 10. WE HAD SO MANY ADVENTURES AROUND THE WORLD. SAFARIS IN AFRICA, SCUBA DIVING IN HONDURAS, TRAINS ACROSS AUSTRALIA, EXPLORING NEW ZEALAND, DRIVING THRU ALASKA. COUNTLESS OTHERS. THEY WENT TO MY BROTHER'S CYCLING RACES HERE AND OVERSEAS AND THEY WENT TO MY SHOWJUMPING EVENTS.<BR><BR>BOOKS! OMG THE BOOKS. I WILL NEVER HAVE TO BUY A BOOK AGAIN. SHE HAD A LIBRARY FULL OF BOOKS, HER BEDROOM AND EVEN CLOSET WERE STACKED WITH BOOKS. WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT HER MOVING TO A SMALLER RETIREMENT-TYPE COMMUNITY SHE WAS FINE WITH LETTING THE HOUSE GO, THE FURNITURE, ART ETC. SHE JUST SAID TO ME, " BUT WHAT WILL I DO WITH ALL MY BOOKS?"<BR><BR>THE LAST TWO DAYS HAVE BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT OF MY LIFE. THE NEXT WILL BE THIS WEEK WHEN MY BROTHER AND I TELL MY DAD WHO IS IN MEMORY CARE. MY DAD IS STILL SO IN LOVE WITH MY MOM 50 PLUS YEARS LATER. I FEEL LIKE IT WON'T BE LONG FOR HIM NOW TOO. I WANT TO SAY TO HIM IT'S OK TO GO. I JUST NEED A FEW MORE DINNERS, A FEW MORE COFFEE DATES THEN GO BE WITH HER BEFORE YOU FORGET US. SHE IS SURVIVED BY HER HUSBAND OF 55 YEARS WAYNE CHESNEY, HER DAUGHTER CYNTHIA LESLIE, SON CURT CHESNEY AND GRANDCHILDREN JACK AND MAX LESLIE AND NATALIE CHESNEY. HER SON IN LAW RANDY LESLIE AND DAUGHTER IN LAW LISA CHESNEY.<BR><BR>MEMORIES BY CYNTHIA LESLIE
August 23, 1945 - September 5, 202108/23/194509/05/2021
