In Memory of Leslie Dianne Ball (Shinnick)

To my family and friends and those who love Leslie:

It is with a broken heart that I am here today sharing the devastating news about my sister’s untimely passing.

On Tuesday, August 1st, 2023 at 6:30 pm, Leslie’s beautiful heart beat for the very last time. My big sister, the woman who raised me, was called home to finally rest in eternal peace.

Now a little about my sissy… Leslie was a gorgeous, fun-loving, free-spirited woman. If you knew her, you knew she was passionate about her family, music, dancing, her Peruvian culture, and sports, but mostly about her two beautiful daughters, Kassandra & Karinna. She was equal parts sugar & spice and played to the beat of her own drum. She had no problem getting up close & personal with those she cared about and would always give the BEST medical advice.

Life dealt Leslie a series of unfortunate hands, mostly related to her health. She was in a medical crisis at the tender age of 32, and from then began the slow snowball of a life of unfortunate events and circumstances that left her on the losing side. Leslie was a walking/talking medical anomaly. For decades her doctors were amazed at how resilient she was and impressed with her sheer will to live and the way her body continued to fight on. She battled with depression and addictions, that lead to broken relationships and lots of heartache…yet she would still be there for you in ANY capacity she could - almost to a fault. She knew what it was like to go without, and never wanted anyone to feel like she did.

More recently, she was plagued by pneumonia and complications from having COVID. Many times on the brink of release, filled with promise and hope for a full recovery, only to be disappointed time after time. Repeating this vicious cycle for the last 4 years. Yet, somehow Leslie continued to find joy. Whether it was her online shopping, managing her music lovers' Facebook group, learning Portuguese, playing dress up and having full-blown photo shoots from the hospital room, she just wanted to feel normal, to look beautiful, smell good and feel loved.

Leslie expressed immense fear in the last months of her life, as her body wasn’t responding to treatment, yet we still celebrated all the small victories together as a family. During those last months, our bond grew stronger than ever, To see the way she lit up and beamed with pride having both of her babies celebrating her birthday together, just 10 days before passing (even if one had to be on FaceTime) is something that I will cherish forever.

My sister is finally free from the cruel prison her body kept her in for decades too long. On the day of her passing, she was surrounded by an outpouring of love from her two daughters, her baby sister and her younger cousin. She fought until the very end, even in the last stretch, the medical staff couldn’t believe how long she held on.

I thank God for the gift of her life - for her life has brought the gift of other lives. Her life brought love, joy, compassion and comfort into the lives of so many people.

On behalf of Kassandra and Karinna, I thank you for the outpour of love and support. As you can imagine this is a very trying time for our family as we pick up the pieces and figure out this process together while grieving the loss of Leslie. My goal is to support the girls and facilitate this process for them as much as I can. Please join me to lighten the burden for them as they navigate through these costly final expenses.

I thank you in advance.

Memorial service details to follow.

Alyson Boone