02/10/2026
James Milton Leslie, 84, passed away peacefully on February 5th, 2026. He was born to the late Pauline “Nana” Mason and James “Roy” Leslie in Roanoke, Virginia on August 15th, 1941.
He married Betty Glass in 1963 and they lived most of their lives together in Lewisville, North Carolina where they raised their four children: Denise Stout of Olin; Michael Leslie of Durham; Scott Leslie of Cary, and Sheila Leslie of Lewisville. He is survived by ten grandchildren he loved dearly: Kyle, Ian, Cary, Benjamin, Christopher, Asherion, Owen, Claire, Sophie and Keira. He is also survived by his loving sister, Phyllis, his brother-in-law, Bob, and two nieces, Jennifer and Robyn. He was married to Betty for nearly 60 years and sorely missed her after her passing in 2023.
James had many nicknames depending on how you knew him. Known as Dad, Pappaw, Jimmy, Brother, Milton, and most amusingly “Red” due to his full head of red hair in earlier years. He was beloved by all who knew him due to his many qualities: kindness, generosity, humor, integrity, and even temper to name a few.
His early life was spent living around Virginia in Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Newport News. He must have been studious as a child, but not in the typical academic way. He loved hunting with his buddies and exploring the world near his home. He had many stories of the fun and light mischief he got into as a child. He graduated from Jefferson High School in Roanoke with the class of 1960.
“Red” worked in the aviation industry almost his whole life as a mechanic or manager. He started in the Air Force from 1963 to 1967, followed by many years at Piedmont Airlines in Roanoke and Winston-Salem. In the Air Force, he maintained F-101 Voodoo fighter interceptors at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York, earning the designation “Voodoo Medicine Man”. He could fix or build almost anything, a trait he tried to pass down to his children. After working in aviation maintenance for more than 50 years, he was awarded the FAA’s Charles Taylor “Master Mechanic” award in 2012.
A devout Christian and Freemason, he often helped Betty on various projects at church and with local charities, and spent time at the local Masonic lodge. He loved to attend lodge meetings, even just to practice the craft with the other brothers. His brothers at the lodge greatly valued his willingness to share his knowledge from being a former Master of the Lodge.
Visitation will be held on February 15th, 2026 at 1:00pm at the Hayworth-Miller Funeral Home in Lewisville, NC. The funeral will follow at 2:00pm at Hayworth-Miller. A graveside burial with Masonic rites for family will take place after the funeral at the Lewisville United Methodist Church cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations be made to [The Masonic Home for Children in Oxford](https://mhc-oxford.org/) or [Brenner Children’s Hospital](https://www.wakehealth.edu/.../about.../support-brenner) in his memory.
