Leslie S. Daniels' Obituary
Big Rapids- Leslie S. Daniels, 57, of Big Rapids, passed away Friday, April 13, 2018, at Spectrum Health Acute Care in Grand Rapids.
She was born July 1, 1960, in Detroit, the daughter of Henry and Jean (Giannantoni) Schandevel, and graduated from Redford Bishop Borgess High School in 1978. Leslie earned her BS in Dietetics from Michigan State University, and then her Master's Degree in Exercise Science from Miami of Ohio University.
On September 29, 1984, she married Bob Daniels, and they moved to Big Rapids in 1988, where she had lived since.
Leslie was a longtime active member of the United Church in Big Rapids, where she served as the Director of Christian Education for many years. For the last six years, she has tutored at the Writing Center at Ferris State University.
Leslie was very involved with organizations that supported her children's activities, including the Big Rapids Figure Skating Club, the Big Rapids Band Parents Association, and the Big Rapids Amateur Junior Hockey Association (BRAJHA). She also co-chaired the Playscape project at Hemlock Park, and remained involved in maintenance and the endowment fund.
Leslie is survived by her husband Bob; their three children, Jenna, graduating dentist from the University of Pittsburgh; Peter, graduating accounting and finance from Ferris State; and Sara, a junior at Big Rapids High School; her father Henry Schandevel of Howell; her brother Rick (Becky) Schandevel of Ft. Worth, TX; her father- and mother-in-law Pete and Pat Daniels of Livonia; and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her mother Jean in 2009.
Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m., Thursday, April 19, 2018, at the United Church in Big Rapids, with Rev. Dr. Myron Jacob Kaufman officiating. Burial will be in the Pine Plains Cemetery in Colfax Township. Leslie's family will greet friends from 3-7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18, at the Mohnke Funeral Home in Big Rapids, and at the church beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. Memorial contributions in her name may be made to the United Church for the Christian Education Fund, with envelopes available at the funeral home.
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