Leslie Turkin

Leslie and I were besties in the 1970s. We met on a traveling wilderness program as high school seniors and had many adventures together in the years that followed -- backpacking, hitchhiking, and discovering new places, from coast to coast. Leslie was whip smart and always curious, with a passion for exploring and a great sense of fun. She had a keen interest in rural American history, handicrafts, and music, particularly Appalachia. She played the autoharp and was a weaver, with a full-size loom in a Long island City-scale apartment! One summer, we were in an old-timey small town in Oregon for the 4th of July. Leslie insisted we comb the thrift store for vintage dresses to wear to the parade and do up our hair in pioneer style. From the side of highways and back roads to the tops of mountains and glaciers, from rain-soaked tents to Greenwich Village folk music clubs, we took on the world as teenagers together. When we very briefly reconnected years later, I learned she had become a nurse and also that she had developed some serious health challenges. I am heartbroken to find out she is buried here and that it was many  months between the time of her death and burial, which tells me she was likely alone in the world. R.I.P. dearest friend. I am so grateful for our time.