Mr. Leslie N. Greasham

LESLIE'S STORY LESLIE AS A CHILD. Leslie was the baby boy of our family. We think he was our mother's favorite child, because it seemed that to her, Leslie basically could do no wrong! Leslie was the cutest little boy with pretty curly hair. And as he grew, he was very handsome, but he never seemed to notice how good looking he was and remained down to earth. Leslie’s big sisters Pamela and Patricia used to hug and kiss him because he was the cutest little baby/toddler. We wanted to hold him all the time, but our mother would tell us to "put that baby down!" And when he was around six years old, Leslie decided we could no longer hug him outside in front of the neighbors! Well, at that moment, we realized that the baby boy was growing up! Leslie was well-known in the Park Hill neighborhood where we grew up on Grape Street as a happy, rambunctious, easy-going child, although in some cases, he could be just plain bad! He was a cool little boy, and even at an early age, he was his own little person. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS LESLIE LOVED TO DO? As a boy, Leslie loved being outside, running around the neighborhood until mom called us home, and being the perfect example of an annoying little brother! He loved playing with his cars and toys, climbing trees, playing with insects, and all things "boy!" He especially loved playing ball and riding bikes with his big brother, Bob. Leslie loved ferrets and dogs and raised several dogs in our backyard, and he loved to cook and repair cars. Leslie was also crazy about our mother, Alice Greasham, and no matter where he was or what he was doing, he would send her gifts and letters, and made sure he kept in touch with her. Leslie was a man's man who pretty much always had a smile on his face and a naughty twinkle in his eyes (because he was always up to something)! Leslie was happy and helpful, and he was a fighter. WHAT ARE FUNNY STORIES ABOUT LESLIE? Leslie did not speak before the age of three, and so our mother thought something was wrong with him, that he needed medical attention. The doctors said there was absolutely nothing wrong with him and to give him time. We believe Leslie could speak all along, but was simply and quietly observing, listening, and learning because he knew that when he was ready to speak, it would be hard to stop him! And oh boy did Leslie talk! Our father loved coffee. Once, he was watching a game, he let Leslie and Robert to taste the coffee and they loved it! One by one, they would alternate going into the kitchen telling mom that he wanted another cup of coffee. They did this a few times before mom finally caught on that these boys were the ones actually drinking the coffee. She told them that she knew he was not drinking all the coffee and to stop drinking his coffee! Leslie’s nickname for one of his nieces Ahsera’t was “Squirt.” He would give her an allowance for cleaning her room even though he helped her clean it! That was Leslie! Leslie was also a “backyard mechanic” who always had someone’s car in the backyard; he would say he was fixing a car! Another hilarious and unbelievable memory involved our father’s 1974 Ford Mustang II. It was beautiful: a perfect candy apple red with a full white vinyl top and white-wall tires. Inside it had white bucket seats and headliner with red carpet, dashboard, and steering wheel. After our father passed away, Leslie ended up with the Mustang. But he decided he did not like the red color and was going to paint this already perfect car! So, he purchased a few cans of gray primer and proceeded to paint the ENTIRE car—inside and outside! Everything, including the hub caps and tires! When Robert saw this car, he was in utter disbelief and asked Leslie, “what did you do to this car?” He proudly proclaimed, “Bob, I am getting ready to paint it, to which Robert replied, “Leslie, you did not have to primer the entire car and everything on it and inside of it!! As a backyard mechanic, you could not tell Leslie ‘nothing’ because he knew what he was doing and ultimately put primer all over a perfect red Ford Mustang II! Incidentally, Leslie never even painted the car, so we never knew what color he had in mind. Again, Leslie was his own man and when he made up his mind to do something, he did it and he did it his way! WHAT WAS LESLIE GOOD AT? Leslie had an uncanny ability to find good work! He found favor with employers of trucking and moving companies and builders, painters, and landscapers. No matter how long he was unemployed, when he was ready to work, people hired him! It was because he had a great work ethic and he worked hard. Leslie had the ability to perform all kinds of jobs and had many skills, and he was not intimidated by any work challenge. WHAT ARE INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT LESLIE THAT OTHERS MIGHT NOT KNOW? Leslie had such a funny sense of humor, and he had the biggest smile! He never really took life or any situation too seriously, and even in intense, challenging moments, he found a way to laugh it off! And especially when he was wrong, he would try to lighten the mood with his smile or a laugh. Many might be surprised or interested in knowing that Leslie wrote the BEST letters! We would receive pages and pages of letters from him. Remember we mentioned that when Leslie started talking, oh boy did he talk?? He wrote about his classes, ideas, family, dreams and goals, what he was experiencing in life, and he wrote about God. He wrote about the things that made him happy, sad, angry, upset, and disappointed. He did not hold back. We will miss our brother and his long letters! HOW WILL LESLIE BE REMEMBERED? We will always remember Leslie’s contagious smile and laughter. We will always remember how Leslie wanted more in life. In recent years, he had an opportunity to travel out of state for the first time and he was incredibly happy! After going to Las Vegas with the love of his life, Lisa Phillips, he began dreaming about other places he desired to visit. We will always remember how open and transparent Leslie was about his life. He owned his life and did not point the finger at others when he faced life’s consequences. He had the type of character that would not allow him to play the blame game and he took full responsibility for his actions. Once when Pamela was challenging him about something he did, he looked at her and simply said, "Sis, I messed up." We will always remember that although the odds were against him from the beginning, even as an 18-month-old infant when he entered our lives, Leslie tried, and he kept smiling. WHAT WOULD WE SAY TO LESLIE TODAY? If we could speak to our little brother today, we would remind him of our childhood and how our mother took us to church and instilled God's Word in us. As a boy, Leslie would play drums to accompany Robert who played the organ at church. He was learning how to play very well under the mentorship of his big brother. Our childhood pastor Superintendent Sims loved that the brothers played together and encouraged them as they were learning. But in one service after Leslie was playing and got off beat a little bit, someone openly rebuked him harshly. It hurt him so bad that he stopped playing the drums and ultimately refused to come back to church. Over the years, he would always ask, “Bob, are you still playing the organ,” and Robert would reply, “yes, but I miss playing with you.” That one incident broke all our hearts, and we believe it set Leslie on a different path in life, among other things. We would remind Leslie of how he played the drums at church, of the many Vacation Bible School and Sunday School classes we attended and have him recall the many Christmas and Easter speeches and Scripture verses he memorized and recited. We would encourage him to return to those moments in time in his childhood and to our Christian worldview and invite him to begin again from there. We would tell Leslie that we love him, always have, always will! As siblings, we have no regrets because each of us always told Leslie that we love him. And we would remind him that he has always mattered to us and to our family. Above all, we would remind him that God loves him with an everlasting love and that he was created in the image of God, the One who gave him life and his identity. WHAT WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT LESLIE IF THEY READ THIS 100 YEARS FROM NOW? If someone reads these memories 100 years from now, we want them to know that Leslie Nathaniel Greasham had heart and he cared deeply for his family and friends. All our family and friends who knew Leslie understand that he was not perfect (no one is perfect), but no matter where he went or what he did, Leslie always let us know he cared. We are sure many can attest to the fact that Leslie would readily assist when people needed help with moving or with yard work, or with anything. He would say yes and go out of his way to fulfill his commitment, even if it meant borrowing someone's truck to help!! Although the last couple of years were extremely tough for him, we never once doubted that Leslie cared about us or loved us. "Leslie had heart!" Leslie is preceded in death by father, Nathaniel Greasham; mother, Alice V. Greasham; brother, Richard Willhite, and baby sister, Rekisha E. Harris. WHAT IS LESLIE’S LEGACY Leslie's great legacy is that he loved his family. Leslie leaves to cherish his life and memory: brothers, Robert L. (Apryle) Greasham and Irving D. Harris, Jr.; sisters, Pamela F. (Conner) Holmes, Patricia F. (Anthony) Wheeler, and Andrea Thomas; nephews, Darrak M. Scurles II, Robert L. (Megan) Greasham, Jr., Aaron J. Harmon II, A'mare J. Harris, Jaylen I. Harris, and Javell R. Harris; nieces, Asianae D. Harris, Ahsera't E. Baldwin, and Breana A. Scurles; a host of family and friends; and many more whose lives were greatly touched by his life. Leslie also leaves to cherish his memory the love of his life, Lisa Philips. Our little brother Leslie would not have wanted a traditional, formal funeral service. Therefore, to honor Leslie in a way that he would have wanted, our family will hold a memorial service at Red Rocks. We will have a short, informal service and release eco-friendly lanterns and balloons. We invite you to join us in saying farewell and Godspeed to our beloved little brother. Saturday, May 6, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. Enter at I-70 and Exit 259. Then take W. Alameda Parkway to the Upper North Lot. Please dress comfortably. We also would like to encourage everyone to wear black and blue.

Mr. Leslie N. Greasham

April 16, 1968 - April 2, 2023