Lezlie

Leslie Marian Botkin (Lezlie was her preferred spelling) peacefully passed away in her home on May 31, 2026, from kidney disease. She was surrounded with the love and care of her family. She was seventy-five years of age.

Lezlie was born on February 14, 1951, in Visalia, California, to Lester and Helen Botkin, their youngest child and sibling to Hugh Ryan and Jennifer Lee. With her birthday being on Valentine’s Day, her mother typically baked a “Mrs. Butler’s” chocolate Valentine-shaped cake for her special day which became a family birthday tradition.

Lezlie attended Sierra Vista Elementary school and graduated from Mt. Whitney High School in 1969. During high school and for the next several years, she toured with the singing group, Trinity Village Press (TVP) from Visalia. This was a special time in her life that she enjoyed immensely. The group toured twice in Oahu, Hawaii. They also sang throughout the San Joaquin Valley, and in Arizona and Nevada as well.

She attended College of the Sequoias where she earned her Associates in Arts degree in 1971. She then attended Oregon State University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies in 1974. She continued her education at the University of Oregon Graduate School and earned a Master of Arts degree in 1985. She moved to Boulder, Colorado, and continued her education at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where in 2010 she earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Music.

In 2025, Lezlie was nominated by Maxine Fawcett-Yeske, Ph.D., for membership in the Women Educators Honorary Delta Kappa Gamma, International Society for Key Women Educators. She was inducted into the Colorado State Organization Network that September.

Lezlie taught extensively on the college-level. She taught music appreciation as well as classical guitar and classical piano at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California, for eight years. She taught music appreciation and class piano at West Hills College in Coalinga, California, for three years. She served at American Research Center Assistant and teaching music appreciation at the University of Colorado at Boulder for three years. She presented her research on George Gershwin music and Henry Botkin artwork at an International Conference in Toronto.

In recent years Lezlie taught various subjects at both private and public schools in the area of Livingston, Montana, where she resided for the last thirteen years. She has also performed as a singer, guitarist and pianist.

Lezlie loved family life, Christmas around the family table, spending time with friends and talking about music. She and her sister, Jennifer, had many lively conversations about their childhood, grandparents, traditions and beloved aunts and uncles. She was a quilter and made several quilts for family members. She enjoyed adventures with her niece, Nicole. She enjoyed spending time with her niece, Lesa, with mutual interests in shopping, cooking, gardening and going to the Kitchen Shop in Livingston, Montana. She also enjoyed lengthy conversations with her niece, Aimee, about culture, travel and art.

Lezlie struggled with the effects of kidney disease and had been on dialysis for nearly five years. She passed away from renal failure. She will be remembered for her creative spirit, her love of reading, her enjoyment of a good movie, as an educator, a loyal friend, her delight in being whimsical and fun loving, and her love of singing Joni Mitchell songs on her guitar.

Lezlie is survived by her sister, Jennifer Botkin Maher Phillips of Montvale, NJ; niece Nicole Marie Maher, Livingston, Montana; niece Lesa Marie Maher, Livingston, Montana; niece Aimee Elizabeth Maher, Helena, Montana and several dearly beloved nieces, nephews and cousins.

Lezlie is preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Hugh.

A Memorial and Celebration of Lezlie’s life will be held October 18, 2026, at the Club House at 2221 Willow Drive, Livingston, Montana from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm. The family wishes to encourage people, on behalf of Lezlie and her battle with kidney disease, to consider being a kidney donor and saving a life.

Monetary donations may be made to the Polycystic Kidney Foundation, Kansas City, Missouri, the only organization in the U.S. solely dedicated to finding treatment and a cure for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and improving the lives of those it affects (www.pkdcure.org/1(800)753-2873, option 2).