Leslie Wilson Obituary

Leslie Ann Wilson was born March 17, 1935. She peacefully passed away on September 24, 2025, in Denver, Colorado, at the age of 90 years, while surrounded by her loving family. 

Leslie was born in Evanston, Illinois, and was the only child of Ruth Rivers (Leadstone) and William K. Gilbert. She grew up in Dania, Florida, and returned to Libertyville, Illinois, where she graduated from Libertyville High School. She attended Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin, and transferred to the University of Michigan, where she was a music major and a Delta Gamma sorority sister. Leslie hosted and participated in Delta Gamma Bridge clubs throughout her adult life. Leslie married Donald F Wilson in Countryside Lake, Illinois, in 1958 at the age of 23 years, and they remained married for 67 years. One year after their wedding they moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where they lived for 64 years. Don and Leslie moved to Denver, Colorado, in 2022 where they lived for the remainder of Leslie’s life. 

Leslie had an unbounded love for nature and the outdoors. She and Don together introduced their 3 children to hiking, camping, backpacking, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, fishing, and birdwatching. Leslie summitted several Colorado fourteeners with her family, as well as rafted and hiked with her friends in the Grand Canyon, which she cherished as one of her greatest outdoor accomplishments. Leslie was an avid tennis player, and in her later years she developed a voracious love for golf, as well as traveling throughout the US and internationally. She sang in the Colorado Springs Chorale for several years, during which she participated in annual performances of Handel's Messiah. 

In her working career, Leslie was an executive secretary at Colorado Interstate Gas. She later worked part-time for the United Methodist Church as a newsletter editor. She was a docent for the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for 27 years, providing classroom education and tours at the zoo for school-aged children. 

Leslie was happiest when she was surrounded by family, especially during the holidays. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who loved nature, cooking, gardening, music, sports, shopping, and gift-giving. For all who knew her, Leslie leaves with us indelible memories of her easy laughter and her infectious smile, her love and respect for nature, her endless adoration for the birds of this world and, above all, the outpouring of genuine joy she brought to family gatherings, where her grandchildren would often refer to her as “the laughing machine.”

 Leslie was preceded in death by her mother Ruth Rivers and stepfather John E. Rivers, her father William Gilbert and stepmother Nora Gilbert, and her grandson, Zack Wilson. Leslie is survived by her husband, Donald Wilson; her 3 children, David Wilson, Robin Wilson, and Heather Thomas; daughter-in-law, Sue Potter, and son-in-law, Jerry Thomas; grandchildren Brendon Wilson, Ty Bever, Travis Bever, Amberann Wilson; step-grandson Samuel Potter; and great-grandchildren, Kalli, Lydell, Luke, and Drew. 

A private memorial is planned for immediate family. In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, The Audubon Society, or The National Wildlife Federation Action Fund.