Leslie Elizabeth Spring

We are heartbroken to announce the death of Leslie Spring, a beloved daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin and friend. Leslie passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 28th, 2022 at the age of 74.

Leslie was born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 14th, 1947 to Dr. John L. and Ellen Lee (Sack) Hedeman.

Leslie spent her early years in Maryland, graduating from Severna Park High School and attending college at the University of Maryland. She learned short-hand and was an excellent administrative assistant in a variety of medical settings. Leslie never applied for a job she didn’t get. One of her first jobs was working at St. Vincent’s hospital in New York City for a prominent doctor for whom she helped publish a textbook on measles. Her work was so above and beyond the doctor’s expectations that he surprised her with a portion of the royalties. In the mid 1970’s Leslie relocated with her husband to Los Angeles, California where she was promptly hired to work in administration and grants at the UCLA Division of Infectious Disease. There she supported world-renown doctors and researchers with breakthrough studies on pediatric aids. Leslie coordinated writing and administering many large federal grants. She used to laugh about one time she had to purchase two airline tickets to get a grant to Washington, DC before the deadline – one seat for the lead doctor and the other for the box containing the grant application!

California offered lots of adventures for Leslie. She loved exploring with local friends and out of town visitors the many small towns and large cities in California and along the west coast from Baja up to Alaska. Whale watching was one of her favorite things to do. In her braver years, she even took up soaring which gave her a bird’s eye view of the beauty of the undeveloped southern California desert.

Leslie was a long-time contributing member of the Flying Samaritans; a philanthropic organization bringing free medical care to nineteen remote villages in Baja California. Leslie dedicated several years as President of the Foothill chapter located in Los Angeles. She oversaw the coordination of weekend flights in small private planes to clinic locations in Mexico. She frequently traveled on these monthly trips to provide support to doctors, nurses, dentists, optometrists, and other volunteers. When a small hospital in the LA area closed, Leslie negotiated for the contents of the hospital - from medical equipment to bedpans - to be donated to the Flying Sam’s. She organized volunteers to help move the equipment into a warehouse and later transported to various rural clinic sites in Mexico. Leslie also served on the International Board of Directors where she held several committee chairmanships leading the larger organization totaling over 2,200 members. Leslie was always enthusiastic, willing to help others, made presentations to local organizations that helped fund raising and to bring in new members. She always made her friends laugh with her wonderful sense of humor.

After retiring from UCLA, Leslie moved to Austin, Texas to be close to her sister, niece and nephew. She joined PPD as an auditor and traveled domestically and internationally to verify phase 2 clinical studies were properly conducted. Leslie retired for good in 2009 and enjoyed spending her time playing mah jongg and being with her Texas family and friends.

Leslie is survived by her mother, Ellen Rollins; aunt, Anne Vaeth; sister, Cara Clifford (Mike); daughter, Marcie Muir (Phil); niece, Stefanie Kelly (Duncan); nephew, Duncan Powling (Schlaine); cousins Cathy Gordon, Carol Schmitt, Sue Glandorf (Charles), Sue Gordon-Goldstein (Steve) and Christopher Gordon; many dear friends and her beloved dog, Lucy.

Leslie will be interred in Parkwood Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. The family wishes to thank the skilled nursing staff at Brookdale, Westlake for their care and compassion. A celebration of life is being planned for later this year.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wcfishsouth.com for the SPRING family.