Dale Leslie went home to be with the Lord on Nov. 24, 2024.  He passed away in his Etna, Wyoming home with his wife and son there to celebrate his victory when he finally beat the war with cancer.  Dale, a devoted husband, beloved father, and new grandfather is survived by his wife Esther, son Xavier, daughter Rachel, son in law Steven, and a sweet granddaughter.

Dale was born to Lovell and Donna Jean Leslie in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1961. He had an older brother and sister and later would have a younger sister and brother join the family.  He grew up  playing outside, and riding his bike to town for fun. Being a gifted artist and lover of rock and roll somehow led him to become a munitions airman in the air force following high school. He spent this time enjoying Guam and Cannon AFB (where his daughter and son in law are currently stationed) and driving his Camaro at high speeds.

After his 3 years in service Dale decided to leave the Air Force in favor of being a tree planter in the southern US. This led to his greatest adventure, meeting Esther, whom he chose to insult when he first met her.  Then he spent the next several years begging her to marry him. Or at least that is the story he often shared.  But it was also this meeting and knowing Esther that later brought him to Jesus and ultimately transformed his life, including overcoming his substance and alcohol abuse.  After several years as tree planters and then river raft guides Dale finally convinced Esther to marry him at a small church in Tennessee.  Being the adventurers they were, the two of them decided to honeymoon road tripping for six months through central america to Costa Rica and flying down to spend time in Ecuador.  They even took a break to be river raft guides for a friend in Costa Rica and summited several Andes peaks while in Ecuador including Cotopaxi.

Upon returning to the states, Dale convinced his new wife to join him on a four and a half month backpacking trip to complete the Appalachian trail where they met many friends and saw God take care of even the most basic needs. This was one of the most treasured periods of Dale's life.  The following year he decided he wanted to be a hunting guide and outfitter out west so, though they were flat broke, he moved to Idaho so he and his wife could attend an outfitting school to learn about horses and big game hunting. After several years of outfitting in the fall and spring and firefighting in the summers Dale welcomed his daughter Rachel, who was a complete surprise.  This motivated him to begin another career as a heavy equipment operator for the state of Idaho.  After his son Xavier was born, Dale and Esther felt the Lord's calling to go to Ecuador for two years to work with the Cofan indigenous people, who had a mandate from the Ecuadorian government to make their traditional territory into a national park. During their two years there they developed a ranger training school for the Cofan.

Upon returning to the states Dale looked long and hard for the best way to take care of his family and landed a job with the national park service.  This led to jobs in Bandelier National Monument, at the Grand Canyon, and to Grand Teton National Park, where he would eventually retire.   These jobs also put him near his favorite places in the outdoors and he had plenty of amazing hunting opportunities.  Dale retired finally in 2023 after 23 years of government service  and began planning the Alaskan hunt of a lifetime, though that will now have to be enjoyed by those who are left behind.

Dale loved his family and friends fiercely, continually sought knowledge and good stories, and knew the Lord as both his savior and friend. While he will be deeply missed, we know that Dale is finally fully healed and in his eternal home.  We can't wait to see him there.

A memorial for Dale will be held at New Hope Fellowship on Dec 1st, 2024.  Light lunch, starting at 12:30 pm, will be served and the memorial service will begin at 1:00 pm.

Address: 32 Swimming Pool Rd, Etna, WY 83118

We will have a time to share stories if you have a fond or funny memory to share. If you choose to watch the live stream you can put memories in the comments section for others to enjoy.

Live stream of the memorial will be on Dale's FB(Link Below) beginning at 1:30pm Dec 1st

https://www.facebook.com/dale.leslie.5