LESLIE MARY HILARY MEADOWS (née BANKS)

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

LESLIE MARY HILARY MEADOWS
(née BANKS)

Leslie Mary Hilary Meadows passed away peacefully on March 6, 2019 at the age of 86.
Leslie is survived by her daughter Katharine (Michael) Kingdon, grandchildren, William, James and Emily; son Jonathan (Tara), grandchildren, Madison, Zoë and Levi; daughter Laura; son Michael (Lianne Kupchik), grandchildren, Brendan and Natasha; brother Bernard Banks (Anne) and family; stepsister-in-law Rhoda de Bourcier, and various nieces and nephews. Leslie was predeceased by her husband Donald Meadows; mother Helen (Osborn) Banks; father Bernard Banks; extended family members: Pat Banks, Dorothy and Rodney Smith, Tom and Gloria Meadows, Ed and Muriel Meadows, and Robert and Tess Meadows.
Leslie was born in 1932 in Dunedin, New Zealand. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch and her Library School diploma in 1954. Over her career she worked in a variety of libraries (in New Zealand, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Lesotho). In 1959 she left New Zealand to visit her uncle, Naval Commander John Osborn, in Victoria, BC, onboard the Orsova. While onboard, Leslie met a handsome young man, Don Meadows, and they fell in love crossing the Pacific.
Leslie and Don were married in October 1959 in Winnipeg. The couple then moved to New Zealand where their daughter, Katharine, was born. In 1961, Don took a position as an Ag Rep in Carberry, MB where sons, Jonathan and Michael, were born and daughter, Laura, was adopted.
Between 1967 and 1973, the family lived in Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Lesotho (South Africa) before settling down once more in Winnipeg. Leslie attended the University of Manitoba to obtain her teacher's certificate in 1976 and her Bachelor of Education degree in 1980. From 1976 to 1995, Leslie worked at Dalhousie Elementary School in Fort Richmond teaching grades 2, 4, and as school librarian. She loved teaching and had many fond memories of her students and times at Dalhousie. Leslie became lifelong friends with her colleagues, especially the Friday Morning Breakfast Group.
After retirement, Leslie and Don travelled through the northern States and Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and back to New Zealand to see family and friends. Don's stroke in 2001 limited their travel, although they were still able to visit BC a few times.
Leslie loved acting and performed in many plays throughout her life. She was also a lifelong reader and lover of literature who liked nothing better than to sit down with a good book and a cup of tea. She passed this love of reading on to her family, as well as her love for Masterpiece Mystery and the theatre. She will be forever loved and missed by those fortunate enough to know her.
We would like to give special thanks to Dr. Cam Lowden; the doctors and nurses at Grace Hospital; the staff, friends, and homecare workers at Riverwood Square.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
In memory of Leslie, please support the Arts in your community.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 06, 2019