Leslie Jocelyn Aickin, a resident of PT for 43 years, a community activist, and a dedicated volunteer, passed away October 19 at age 76.
She was born on April Fool’s Day in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and grew up in Seattle with parents, Bill and Vivian, and a brother and three sisters... Mikel, Stacy, Lindsay and Kendall.
As a young woman, Leslie started her working years in the 70's in Seattle. In 1980, she moved to Port Townsend. She bought five acres in the woods just outside town and lived in a Yurt while she designed and built the home where she lived the next four decades. Over the years, Leslie supported herself in PT by creating and running cleaning business, and as staff for the Port of Port Townsend, Peninsula College, and Fort Worden State Park.
The PT community benefited greatly from Leslie's contributions. She volunteered as a hospice aide, drove disabled locals wherever they needed to go, as well as giving her time at our Food Bank, the Jefferson Co Land Trust, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and the Quimper Geological Society. And those are just the ones we know about.
Leslie’s first love was for the natural world surrounding her home and community. She became passionate about geology, and wrote brochures and helped organize field trips for the Quimper Geological Society for a very long time. "If you hike around Fort Worden or go to the beach there, you will see Leslie's trail guide info boards," writes sister Kendall. "She was extremely proud of and dedicated to these projects, and if you were lucky enough to go on a hike with Leslie, you would get to hear her animated trail-side descriptions of the Earth you were looking at." She loved paddling her kayak, reveling in the natural shorelines and "boldly going nowhere”.
Leslie had a sharp wit and irreverent humor. She was generous with those she loved and who loved her back, giving her time, her attention, and often the odd treasure found at a garage sale. She was fiercely independent, yet loved gentle and stimulating companionship. She was confident when being of service, and shy when the spotlight fell on her. She was creative, and constantly sought knowledge and new perspectives, while also holding tightly to her values and instincts.
Though she died unexpectedly, during the last years of her life she made great peace with death and impermanence.
We miss her immensely.
The Memorial gathering for Leslie will be at 3pm on Saturday Feb 17th 2024 at the Fort Worden JFK Building.
"And, in the end..."
