Heaven gained a genuine   soul on November 10, 2021. Calvin “Cal” Kent Leslie, a week shy of his 74th birthday, passed away peacefully at Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo, Colorado. He died the way he lived, on his own terms, strong minded and with the unwavering stubbornness we all loved about him. Well, mostly loved.

Cal had the gift of conversation and was a man of many words. He could rival some of the very best story tellers with factual stories and some that may not have been exactly, factual. He was always willing to talk to someone who had a free minute or hour. He was a friend to almost anyone who had time to talk and liked to laugh. All people die, but not everyone truly lives, and Cal lived how he chose, with love in his heart and a stern look on his face. He lived his life to the fullest and never looked back, using the examples of his upbringing by two outstanding people, his Uncle Don and Aunt Helen. They taught him to be an excellent man, father, grandfather, friend and mentor.

Cal joined the U.S. Navy Seabees in 1965 and served two tours in the Vietnam War. He returned home and worked as a trim carpenter for a short time before joining the Kansas City Missouri Police Department in October of 1970, where he worked for over 26 years before retiring in December of 1996. After retirement, Cal moved to Westcliffe, Colorado, where he lived the remainder of his life. Cal’s passion was hunting, hunting, and more hunting. He enjoyed living where the wildlife roamed in the quietness of the mountains he loved so very much.

He was preceded in death by his father Kenneth George Leslie, his loving mother, Jimmie June Leslie, brothers Steven and David, sisters Joyce and Judy, and his Uncle Don and Aunt Helen Kinney, who raised him to be the man we
all knew.
Cal would not want a fuss over him. He would tell you that “Well, ya know, that’s just how it is. Enjoy what you have while you have it.” Cal is survived by his sons Brian (Heather) and Jason, and granddaughter Alayna, several nieces, nephews, and cousins, all of Kansas City, Missouri.

Cal had many friends in Colorado, more than one could count, but some were just as important to him as his own family. The first friend he met after moving to Colorado was Mark and his wife Dawn Evert, who became instant family, and they were inseparable. Mark would say Cal was closer than family, he was cherished, and nothing will be the same now that he is gone. If you couldn’t find Cal around town, you always knew he was probably with his close friend and compatriot in the hay fields, Max Smith. They were either working in the shop getting ready for hay season or doing repairs after the hay was put up for the year. For all the rest of us who called Cal our friend, we will miss seeing his red Ford truck and a friendly wave that said all was well in our world.
A memorial service will be held for Calvin in the spring of 2022, when the snow melts and the valley welcomes the warmth that will bring green grass to the mountains where Cal will always be remembered.