Bernadette Leslie

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Bernadette ‘BD’ Dawn Leslie, who peacefully passed away in her sleep on December 10th of 2024, at the age of 71, in her own home with loved ones next to her, just as she wanted.

BD is survived by her two sons; Mark Leslie with his wife Amanda Leslie and Mickey Leslie with his fiance Rachel Robillard; six grandchildren; Ava, Landin, Mason, Kenna, Ember, and Greyson; three siblings, Kris Ras, Ken (Mo) Krueger and Richard (Pegg) Krueger. BD was preceded in death by her adored mother, Helen Krueger and her stepson, Eric Leslie.

BD was Helen and Leonard Krueger's second youngest child. She was born on September 28th of 1953. BD grew up in Hamilton, Michigan where she graduated from Hamilton High in 1972. Years later she built her house in Saugatuck, Michigan where she had her two boys, Mark and Mickey. She worked at Thermatron performing electrical work on test chambers and refrigeration for upwards of 30 years and retired in March of 2021.

We can thankfully say the whole family was able to spend Thanksgiving with BD in her own home. It was a beautiful day, all thirteen of us gathered together in the living room to watch the Detroit Lions actually win a Thanksgiving game. We all sat together, with BD at the head of the table, to say what we were thankful for and eat Thanksgiving dinner. It was the most amazing day our crazy, unorganized and loud family could have asked for and it is a memory we will hold onto forever.

BD was the embodiment of a kind soul. She was the most selfless person anyone could ever meet. The type of person who never wanted to receive a handout but be the one to give a handout. She was a hard-working woman raising two boys, which is not an easy thing to do. Like many other things in her life, she did it and she did it beautifully. She will always be the biggest inspiration and role model for her children and grandchildren.

Friends become family with BD, she opened up her home to many people and touched so many lives by doing that. She was like a second mother to Mark and Mickey's friends and treated them like they were her own. We wouldn't be honoring her correctly if we didn't mention how fierce that woman was. She never let anything get past her, she always kept a firm hand with the ones she loved. She never let anyone disrespect her or her family which is a valuable lesson she taught us all.

BD was known for being compassionate, loving, stern, helpful and of course, the most hardworking independent woman you’ll ever meet. One of her most important qualities was her genuine love for animals. She was the best pet owner out there and every animal, wild or domesticated, always gravitated towards her which represents the beautiful and kind soul she had.

Bernadette Dawn Leslie is nothing short of an unbelievable woman. She accomplished so many things in her life and she did it with grace and love. It is truly a gift to be touched by someone as rare as her.

To know her was to love her.

Honoring BD’s wishes there will be no service held at this time. We ask you all to honor BD's memory by keeping your loved ones close and never letting your bird feeders go empty.

Professional service entrusted to the Saugatuck Chapel.