Leslie Elizabeth Delaney

  A graveside service will be held for Leslie Elizabeth Delaney, 

73, Palmer, AK and formerly of Clayton, who passed away on 

January 7, 2024, at her home in Palmer, Alaska. 

   Leslie was born July 23, 1950, in Clayton, NY to John
J, Delaney and Ida L. (McAvoy) Delaney. After her graduation
from Clayton Central school, Leslie earned a BA in English
with honors from SUNY Albany. She later earned a Masters in
Liturgical Studies from Loyola University.
   Leslie moved to Anchorage in 1974 and started her career in
banking. In her ten years with the bank, she moved from teller
to specialist programmer. She was drawn however to the quiet
beauty and community spirit of Palmer and the Matanuska-
Susitna Valley, relocating there in the early 80's. With her
talents, gentle kindness, dependability, and methodical
determination, she quickly became a valued, integral part of
her work team and the wider community.
   In 1985 Leslie accepted a programming position at the
Matanuska-Susitna borough offices and worked there for 30
years. She purchased a parcel of land and began the planning
and construction of her log home, acting as her own contractor.
A story appeared in the local valley paper, The Frontiersman,
in which she was called “the lady with the flute.” She lived in
her home for 25 years, moving reluctantly at first, to town,
after sustaining injuries doing home maintenance.
   Leslie had many interests, but her passions remained her music
and her faith. She played the flute/piccolo in the Anchorage
Symphony orchestra and opera orchestra for 42 years, rarely
missing a rehearsal or performance despite the 85-mile
roundtrip drive. She played at countless weddings and funerals
in the valley area. Leslie participated ad hoc in the community
band, ensembles, and theater. She shared her skills and love of
music with countless private students who sought her out.
Leslie sang in the Papal choir welcoming Pope John Paul II to
Anchorage in 1981. It was the largest event to be held in
Alaska. She was honored to sing in the Vatican when the Pope
subsequently invited the choir to Rome. She especially enjoyed
making music with her clarinetist sister Catherine, each
traveling the length and breadth of the continent to do so.
   Leslie was a communicant of St. Michael's Church in Palmer.
She volunteered at the church organizing singers, musicians,
and music for services. In addition to singing and playing at the
services, she also helped with administrative tasks. When a
new church was to be built, she was instrumental in the
planning of the space, assuring that the needs of the community
were met. Leslie was a regular volunteer at the Bishop's Attic,
a thrift shop run by the church and served on its board.
When the pastor took leave to establish a parish in Magadan,
Eastern Siberia, Leslie travelled there to volunteer with a group
of nuns assisting the pastor with his mission.
   Leslie enjoyed cross-country skiing, hiking, gardening and
“blueberry picking.” She loved long walks with friend Joyce,
lunches with Mary Jo and the “change of pace” trips to Las
Vegas with Naomi. She loved travelling and especially enjoyed
the trips she took with her grand nieces, Megan and Calle to
Europe and Australia, respectively, upon their graduations from
high school. Leslie looked forward to volunteering each year at
the Alaska State Fair held in Palmer. She was known as the
“pie lady” for her very popular booth.
   She delighted in being adopted “Auntie Les” of four siblings
“my kids” in the neighborhood. Whether playing ball in her
yard, making a snowman, singing with them as she ferried
them to school or showing them how to plant and tend a
garden, each moment was a joy to Leslie.
   If she was not helping others, Leslie was most content playing
her flute and watching the changing light and snowline on the
mountains that surrounded her home.
   As with her community and despite being the youngest, Leslie
was the rock of the family and will be missed by her siblings:
Thomas (Judy Johnstone), John ”Donnie” (Eunice Murray),
Francis “Fritz”(Carolyn) Delaney, Marcia (Mike) McGann and
Catherine Hungerford. She had a special place in her heart for
fellow Alaskan and niece Wendy (Jim) Pisk and their daughters
Megan and Calle. She will be fondly remembered by several
nieces and nephews and their children, as well as many
cousins.
   Leslie will be interred at the family burial site in Clayton on
Tuesday, July 23 at 11:00 am (her birthday) with a reception at
the C-Way restaurant immediately following the service. Local 

arrangements are entrusted with Cummings Funeral Service, 

Inc., Clayton and online condolences to her family may be 

posted at www.cummingsfuneral.com.