Leslie Ann Gallagher

While it is possible to receive good counsel from a wide circle of family and friends, few could do it with the skill and aptitude of Leslie Ann Gallagher. She had a true talent for helping others reach their full potential and brought out the best in those who sought her help. Leslie was a forward-looking woman whose personality was filled with empathy toward everyone she met. She could be quiet and reserved, but her style of communication was authentic and direct. An excellent communicator, Leslie was a master at using imagery when she explained her ideas and concepts. She seemed to have an endless supply of innovative concepts and strategies for how to help those around her. Her sensitivity, kindness and generous attitude made her a wonderful friend for all who knew her.

From the time she was born on January 12, 1954, Leslie showed a deep concern for others. She was a giving and caring individual, ethical and full of integrity and warmth. Leslie came into this world at Doctor's Hospital in Seattle, Washington. Her parents were Stephen and Marie Gallagher. Leslie was raised in West Seattle, and returned there to live for the past 20 years.

As a young girl, Leslie interacted well with other children, and enjoyed biking and swimming with neighborhood friends. She was an independent person who had a vivid imagination, and had a number of interests in her youth. Leslie enjoyed skiing and showed a natural talent for it. She was a member of the Campfire Girls. In her spare time she liked to draw and enjoyed crafts such as ceramics.

Leslie graduated from Chief Sealth High School in 1972. A good student who was interested in pursuing a career in business, Leslie earned four business certificates in high school. Showing an interest and talent in music, she played the clarinet in the high school marching band.

After high school, Leslie attended ITT Business School, earning her Associates Degree in 1974. Her talents in writing proved to be an asset for her in college, and she excelled in management classes. Mainframe and mini-computers were just emerging as an important business tool, and Leslie particularly enjoyed her computer related classes.

As the eldest of two sisters, Leslie always felt a strong sense of responsibility to her family. When her father died, Leslie was only 16, and that sense of responsibility only strengthened. For a time, Leslie was the only driver in the family, and readily took on the responsibility of driving her mother on errands. When Marie finally decided to learn to drive, Leslie helped teach her. Much later, when Marie’s eyesight failed, Leslie was there once again to drive her mother to doctors appointments and shopping, or take her out to dinner or to one of her grandchildren’s school events. When her mother’s health began to fail, Leslie took care of her in her home as long as possible.

Leslie’s generosity and caring for others extended beyond her family. When a coworker was stricken with cancer, Leslie visited Nancy often, ran errands for her, and took her out whenever Nancy felt well enough. She knew Nancy did not have family in the area, and Leslie wanted to ease the pain of what she was going through in whatever way she could.

Able to maintain a positive focus on the potential good to be found in others, Leslie was always ready with solid advice and guidance to offer her group of friends. She was generally friendly to all who knew her, yet to some she seemed quite independent. For those who really knew Leslie, they recognized that she could be full of surprises. Leslie enjoyed a small but solid group of true friends. She would willingly support those friends when they needed it. Because of her ability to read people, she had an uncanny knack for knowing when a friend needed help. Leslie became very close friends with Heather Beebe, who grew up in the same neighborhood. Heather, her husband Max, and Pearl Plant were good friends and traveling companions.

After graduating from college, Leslie got her first job in the insurance industry, where she would work all her life. Her first encounter with insurance was in life insurance, a career which would take her to Utah, Oregon and Northern California, as well as Washington. On returning to Seattle in July 1990, she began her underwriting career in the Individual Underwriting Department at King County Medical Blue Shield, now Regence. Leslie’s tenure in the Individual department was short due to the onset of legislative changes in healthcare, causing Leslie to move into the Group Underwriting Department. In 1993, shortly after Leslie moved into Group Underwriting, she was nominated as Employee of the Quarter, and later in her career she became the Group Underwriting Manager of the Community Pool. In her role as manager, Leslie was well known for her tenacity of administering Group & Member Eligibility Audits.

In her desire to bring a level of understanding to others, Leslie produced the Community Underwriting News. The newsletter was an internal communication that was distributed monthly to colleagues and customers alike. It contained Underwriting & Contract guidelines associated with Regence and followed new developments occurring within the health insurance industry. There have been 68 distributions of the Community Underwriting News, and because of its wealth of information, it became the foreground for The Regence Underwriting Newsletter, distributed quarterly to all four states within Regence. Leslie was a contributing editor to the quarterly newsletter. Leslie was one that was shy in character and really didn’t much like being a presenter; however, in the presentations of the Underwriting & Sales Education courses with which she was involved, one could not see her nervousness. It seems she had a skill of which she wasn’t aware.

Leslie projected a subtle but positive influence in her workplace. She was comfortable working behind the scenes to help everyone get their job done, and she worked hard at all times to help others to reach their highest potential. While her colleagues did not view her as a high-spirited type, Leslie served in her role with the utmost distinction and passion. All at Regence who got to know Leslie will miss her immensely.

Although Leslie did not have children of her own, she was a loving and indulgent aunt to her niece Jessica and nephew Stephen. She was there at every school concert and play, encouraging and cheering them on. When Stephen expressed an interest in the clarinet, she gave him hers, and encouraged his interest in music. She closely followed Jessica’s and Stephen’s progress in school, and always had an encouraging word for them.

As an imaginative and inventive person, Leslie was comfortable showing her creative spirit. She enjoyed decorating her office and home. Leslie was something of an oenophile, and enjoyed touring the wine regions of Washington, Oregon and California, learning about the art and science of winemaking, and tasting the offerings of small wine makers. She also enjoyed live theater, attending plays at several community theaters.

Leslie possessed strong skills in long-range planning and project completion, a quality that positively influenced her travel and vacation planning. Leslie loved to travel, often with her good friends Heather and Max Beebe, Pearl Plant, and Max's sister Barb. Memorable vacations included Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon, as well as Chicago, St. Louis, and Tennessee. Most recently the group enjoyed an Alaskan Cruise.

Leslie was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. She had a much loved, large gray cat named Sasquatch, because of his big six toed paws. Sasquatch lived for 17 years with much care from Leslie for his diabetes and kidney failure. Most recently she rescued two cats, Guinness and Tabe. Guinness had health problems and required a great deal of care and attention, which Leslie was happy to do to keep him enjoying life as long as possible. She would regale friends and coworkers with her stories of the two cats and their very different personalities. Guinness died recently and Tabe has joined Heather and Max's family.

Leslie passed away on September 11, 2010 at Park Ridge Nursing Center in Shoreline, Washington. Leslie died from bile duct cancer which was quite advanced when it was discovered. She lived only three weeks after the diagnosis. She is survived by her sister Patti. Services were held at Forest Lawn Funeral Home on September 29, 2010 at 1:00 PM. Leslie was laid to rest in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Though she could be a private person at times, Leslie was always able and willing to give of herself. She was a good listener, who could listen without judgment, and could sense when people were seeking advice and when they just needed a sounding board. She was a person who was highly original in her thinking and used metaphors and symbols to describe many aspects of her life. A poetic, intuitive "teacher", Leslie Ann Gallagher shared herself freely, and family and friends will remember Leslie for her loyalty and generosity.