Leslie Lavina Johnson

Leslie Lavina Jones Johnson, 69, of Easton, Pennsylvania, died Monday, January 19, 2026, at Lehigh Valley Muhlenberg, surrounded by family and music.

Born in Columbia, Ohio, to Chester H. Jones and Norma Wall Jones, Leslie was the first of four children. She earned a degree in psychology from Smith College in Massachusetts. Leslie was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia as a child. Doctors gave her cautious timelines. She outlived them all, quietly and without complaint, for nearly seven decades.

Leslie moved with her husband and young family from New Jersey to College Hill, where she kept a garden that flourished under her attention and a book and record collection that took up entire walls. Jazz and soul were constants; so were books. A voracious reader, she read widely and remembered everything – medical, history, Agatha Christie and other mysteries, coding, and gardening, just to name a few.

She had a sharp mind accompanied by a shy smile and an optimism that was remarkable given her health. She was quiet but formidable; she didn’t need to raise her voice to make her point. She had a remarkable laugh.

Leslie kept both her mind and hands busy, making jewelry and quilts. Her love of history led her to participate in the Easton Historical House Tour soon after moving to Easton, assisting with publicity with her characteristic thoroughness. She had a sweet tooth that often led her to Easton Baking Company. She appreciated beautiful things; fine tailoring, high-quality fabrics, the particular pleasure of something made well. She dressed with understated elegance, teaching her daughters, both directly and indirectly, how you present yourself matters.

Leslie was a member of the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Forks Township. Her strong integrity and hope for the future allowed her to endure many of life’s most difficult challenges, including a chronic and painful illness, with a measure of joy and dignity that was faith-strengthening and encouraging and endeared her to many.

She is survived by her three daughters: Courtney Johnson of Easton; Adjani Jensen and her husband Kevin of Bethlehem; and Ashton Johnson-Lepiarz and her husband Jacob of Franklin Park, New Jersey. She is also survived by her sisters Elizabeth Jones of Los Angeles, California and Madeline Jones of Phillipsburg, New Jersey as well as two grandchildren, Mackenzie Jensen and Finnley Lepiarz, who knew her as someone who always had time for them and usually had something sweet to share.

Services will be held at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1403 Lieb Rd, Easton, PA 18040 on Saturday, February 28th, 2026, at 2pm. Arrangements are entrusted to Morello Funeral Home, Inc., 3720 Nicholas Street, Easton, PA (Palmer Twp.). Online condolences may be offered at www.morellofuneralhome.com.