Dorothy "Dottie" Guenther Beckmann Leslie

Dorothy (Dottie) Guenther Beckmann Leslie passed peacefully on December 17, 2022, at the age of 97. Born in 1925 at the family home on Guenther Street, her mother was Mary Milby Giles, daughter of English architect, Alfred Giles. Her father, Adolph Beckmann, was the grandson of Carl Hilmar Guenther, the founder of Pioneer Flour Mills. They lived across the street from the Mill in the King William neighborhood, often referred to as “Sauerkraut Bend”. Her father worked his entire life at the mill beginning at a young age sweeping the floors.

As the fifth child, typically rigid German parental demands fell by the wayside, and Dottie enjoyed an adventurous childhood, even sneaking out to ride the Mill’s grain elevator with friend Jo Ann Nelson. She was a Lasso at the newly opened Jefferson High School, attaining a leadership role, and could entertain family and friends with rope tricks, and keep them in line with a bullwhip.

Upon graduation, Dottie spent a year at Sullins College in Virginia, but couldn’t wait to get back to Texas. She spent as much time as possible at the ranch established by her grandfather, Alfred Giles, in 1885. When most able-bodied men were away during WW II, Dottie picked up the slack, riding, working livestock, doctoring, and milking.

Dottie met Roy Leslie at a post-WWII celebration near Helotes. They married in 1948 and raised three kids in San Antonio and at the ranch. She was a member of the San Antonio Junior League, The Battle of Flowers Association, and the Luby's Ladies lunch bunch.

But the ranch called, and she moved there in 1980, spending her days taking care of her cows, sheep, and goats. Dottie and her cousins Robin and Carol Giles started a business delivering fresh lamb to restaurants and families in San Antonio. She also served over twenty-five years as a director (the first woman) of the Kendall County Soil & Water Conservation District. Her home at the ranch became known for a daily 5 PM happy hour. Any and all were welcome. Her joy and laughter were contagious, and her positive outlook on life cherished by young and old.

At the age of eighty-two, she reconnected with her friend from teenage years, Ed Cassin. She visited regularly, and they enjoyed riding his Zavala County ranch in a torn up Ford, checking cattle, feeding the deer and javelinas, getting stuck in the mud after welcome rains, and watching, over a glass of wine, the geese and sandhill cranes, returning at sunset to the shores of a stock tank. She loved her cows, garden, her large family, a good party, and her John Deere.

Dottie always rose to the occasion. She made do during the Depression, nursing in the Kelly Burn Unit during WW II, and stepped up when her family needed her. Most importantly, she was a friend. A friend who made all who knew her a little better. She faced life and death with humor and good sense, and although she gradually lost her physical abilities over the last year, her thoughts were clear, her eyes were bright, and her smile was big.

She outlived her beloved siblings, Memie, Alfred, Annie Laura and Cha Cha, and is survived by her children, Roy Leslie (Jessica), Patty Leslie Pasztor (Greg), and Alfred Leslie (Barb Shirley); her grandchildren, Kate Edwards (Jared), Blake Leslie, and Annalise Pasztor. Her three great-grandchildren are Noah, Seth, and Julia Edwards. Her dear nieces, nephews and cousins are missing a true friend and mentor.

The family thanks the dedicated staff at Heritage Place in Boerne, and the caring employees at the Incarnate Word DeMatel House. We also appreciate the kindhearted caregivers from Christus and Alamo Hospice and the Senior Buddies Jennifer and Windy.

The family will have a private celebration of her life at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Comfort Library, PO Box 536, Comfort, Texas 78013; Comfort Volunteer Fire Dept, 224 W. Hwy 473, Comfort, Texas 78013; Cibolo Center for Conservation/Cibolo Nature Center, 140 City Park Rd., Boerne, Texas 78006; Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation, 2914 Swiss Ave., Dallas, Texas 75204; or the charity of your choice.