Passed away Monday, February 4 in San Ramon, at 87 years of age, after a prolonged struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Those who knew her in her prime would agree that she was bigger than life, and a force to be reckoned with. She was blessed with movie star looks that would turn heads when she entered a room. Lezlie was a true businesswoman, and owned three restaurants in Berkeley and Lafayette between 1954 and 1963; two women’s clothing shops in Lafayette and Orinda between 1962 and1973; and East Bay Chevrolet in Albany from 1975 to 1978.

Lezlie was raised in Berkeley, where she met her first husband, Lloyd Ricketts; they had a brief marriage that produced two children. Two years later she married Robert Corsi and had three more children; they divorced after 18 years. Subsequently, she married Dr. James Harkins; during this marriage she became involved in many charities, and raised thousands of dollars for Letterman Hospital, the Mental Health Society, and many other worthy causes. She and Dr. Harkins were featured regularly in the society columns; he suffered a fatal heart attack in 1973. Shortly after, Lezlie serendipitously ran into an old friend, Jack Labadie, at a Sleepy Hollow School function; they had briefly dated when they were young. He went off to war, and they didn’t cross paths again until early 1973. When they reconnected, it was like a force of nature! They were soon married, and were extremely happy. Friends and family of both Lezlie and Jack observed that they both had found their soul mates at last! Sadly, two years later Jack had a heart attack at Silverado Country Club and died in Lezlie’s arms. She never really appeared to recover from that heartbreak, and never married again. Five years later, she tragically lost her youngest son, Christopher, at age 18 years. During the time after this loss she committed her life to the Lord, became an ordained minister in 1979, and began preaching wherever she went. She traveled to Africa several times in her late 60s and 70s, and numerous times to Mexico, to share the word of God. In 2005 she finally made her home in Rossmoor, Walnut Creek, and lived there until she moved to assisted living in Danville in 2011. Lezlie is survived by her daughters, Paula Marshall and Deborah Hill, both of Danville; sons, Randall Ricketts of Carmel Valley, and Marc Corsi of Danville; sister, Jacqueline Wilburn of Yuma, Arizona; ten grandchildren; and eleven great-grandchildren.

Friends and acquaintances are cordially invited to attend funeral services Monday, February 11 at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel of Sunset View Mortuary, top of Fairmount Avenue, El Cerrito; interment following, Sunset View Cemetery. Memorial donations, if desired, may be made to Hope Hospice, 8377 Clark Avenue, Dublin CA 94568 (www.hopehospice.com).