Leslie Kasey Newell, 75, of Strasburg, passed away on Monday, August 4, 2025, at 10:04 a.m. at Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital in Mattoon.
Leslie was born on September 28, 1949, at Shelby County Memorial Hospital to John and Barbara (Jones) Kasey. She graduated from Windsor High School in 1967 and went on to attend Eastern Illinois University. Later, she taught in a nursery school in Champaign.
A lifelong member of the Windsor Christian Church in Windsor, Leslie faithfully served as a Sunday school teacher, nursery worker, and especially loved sharing the children’s moment during Sunday services. She was also active in the community as a Shelby County 4-H leader and a member of the Liberated Belles Home Extension Club.
In January 1969, Leslie met a man in a pickup truck who would soon become the love of her life. She married Tom Newell on July 6, 1969. In their 56 years of marriage, Tom and Leslie were blessed with four daughters and eight grandchildren. Leslie found great joy in caring for her grandchildren and being involved in their lives.
An avid Elvis Presley fan, Leslie filled her home with an extensive collection of Elvis memorabilia and loved listening to his records at full volume. His music brought her immense joy.
Leslie grew up in her Grandma Jones’ café on Maine Street in Windsor, where she learned the importance of kindness, hard work, and treating others well. Those early lessons in character and community stayed with her throughout her life. After her grandmother’s retirement, Leslie and Tom purchased the café and ran it for three years before moving to Strasburg.
While living in Strasburg, Leslie worked as a bookkeeper for the Strasburg Elevator, operated an in-home daycare, and later retired from the Strasburg Post Office, where she served as a rural mail carrier for 23 years.
Leslie is survived by her husband, Tom; her daughters: Jodi Pree of Florida, Kathy (Chad) Haarmann of Sigel, and Twila (Lorne) Faletic of rural Mode; her beloved grandchildren: Kane and Blake Pree of Strasburg; Rileigh, Madilyn, Kinsley, and Charity Haarmann of Sigel, and Collier and Hadleigh Faletic of rural Mode. She is also survived by her aunt, Vicki (David) Freemon of Shelbyville; sister-in-law, Mary Ellen Griffith of Salem; brother-in-law, Theron (Linda) Newell of Strasburg, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Barbara Kasey; her infant daughter, Paula Newell; her brothers, Michael, Mark, and Patrick Kasey; her stepfather, Phil Passalacqua; stepbrothers, Vincent and Pete Passalacqua; her aunt, Colleen Mudge; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Russell and Mary Newell, and brothers-in-law, Jim Griffith and Kenneth Newell.
Services for Leslie will be held Friday, August 8, 2025, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., and Saturday, August 9, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Windsor Christian Church in Windsor. Burial will immediately follow at Ash Grove Cemetery, rural Windsor. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Windsor Christian Church and may be mailed to Lovins-Lockart Funeral Home, P.O. Box 52, Windsor, IL 61957.
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