It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Mom, Leslie Flowers, who left us on June 21, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. She was 74 years old.

Born on December 16, 1948 in Oakland, CA, Leslie grew up in a loving household in the SF Bay Area with her mom, Pam Flowers, father, Russell Flowers and brother, Jeff Flowers. She graduated from Newark Memorial High School and went on to Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia (including a year abroad in Basel, Switzerland) earning a degree in journalism.

Professionally, Leslie worked in several industries leading, developing, and delivering corporate training programs while running her own consulting business, Wordshapers. In the last decade of her life, she postponed retirement to continue her work as a grant writer, fundraiser, and communications consultant, in addition to a Reading Mentor, at Grail Family Services in San Jose, a non-profit that empowers vulnerable families with young children through programs that educate, develop leadership skills, and build a sense of community. Leslie’s work contributed to opening two state funded preschools, developing a parenting app, and opening a full-day state funded toddler center.

Personally, Leslie was the bedrock many of us relied upon for her company, compassion, advice, kindness, conversation, patient listening, and quick wit. She had a natural ability to hold space for anyone in her company to share their feelings and thoughts without judgment.

Leslie was very close to her parents and kept their memory alive by sharing their stories, memories of all their adventures (including several cross country roadtrips), photos, poems she shared with her children and grandchildren, and the many hand-made Christmas decorations and ornaments that would come out every year.

Leslie was passionate about many things: her family and friends, her work, reading, traveling, walking/hiking, theater, dancing and political current events. She hand-wrote hundreds of letters every election year, urging eligible voters to make it to the polls. She spoke three languages and maintained a streak of more than 390 days on Duolingo! She and some of her close friends were in a walking club that would travel both nationally and internationally. She loved to dance and joined a German folk dancing group, Almenrausch Schuhplattler where she performed locally and toured in Germany, Austria and Canada and attend the local dance events even after leaving the group. Her love for travel took her on countless journeys, each one a testament to her adventurous spirit and zest for exploring the world. Leslie cherished her friendships and had lasting connections from all walks of her life that spanned decades.

She was extremely thoughtful and creative and she made every birthday and holiday special - even if it was just sending a handwritten card. She remembered birthdays, planned months ahead for holidays, and celebrated all of the adventures and milestones in between. Her wit, humor and thoughtfulness were a unique mix and one of her many superpowers. Her smile and laughter was contagious. She was also the go-to source of truth when we had a question on spelling, grammar, or syntax and she had an innate ability to create puns, rhymes, and limericks and weave them into her personal and professional life.

She adored her grandchildren tremendously. She was a pro at creating scavenger hunts and had a long-running Nana Banana Book Club with Parker and Jackson. All three grandsons received blankets she had beautifully knitted with yarn she had carefully picked. When Sameer and Nayla said that they did not want any gifts when Anthony was born, Leslie defiantly, and only half jokingly, declared that as his Nana she didn’t have to follow the rules– and she didn’t.

Leslie's unwavering strength made her exemplary at making the most challenging experiences seem surmountable, tackling each with calm determination and without complaint. She raised two children while working full-time. She continued to walk 5-10Ks on a regular basis while battling cancer twice and she dealt with the last nine months of her life with the poise, grace, humor, kindness, and elegance she exhibited throughout her life.

Leslie remains with us every day through the strength and humor she’s passed on to Lamya and Sameer, the irreplaceable impact she’s had on so many people, the love she shared and the memories we hold close to our hearts. She is the first person we think of when we want to point out a grammatical error or typo, a scavenger hunt, a brown chicken egg, or a Peace Lily needing a little more water.

Leslie is survived by her daughter Lamya Stimmell; son Sameer (Nayla) Moualem; three grandsons, Parker & Jackson Stimmell; Anthony Moualem; brother Jeff (Anse) Flowers; nephew Mike Flowers; many loving cousins and a village of amazing friends.  

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