Leslie D'Amico Brown

Leslie D'Amico Brown, a radiant force of love, curiosity, and strength, was taken from us far too soon on February 26, 2026, one month before her 40th birthday, while on a morning run near her home in Bozeman. Though her time was heartbreakingly short, Leslie lived with such fullness and grace that her light will continue to shine through all who knew and loved her.

Born in Billings, Montana, on March 25, 1986, and raised nearby in Columbus, Leslie grew up surrounded by the landscapes and people that would shape her lifelong passion for the outdoors and the spirit of caring for others.

In high school, Leslie was a top student and participated on the debate and cheer teams at Columbus High School before graduating in 2004. She began her working life in Yellowstone National Park, first cleaning rooms at Lake Village and later managing gas stations at Fishing Bridge and Tower Junction—roles that honed her work ethic and her ability to connect with people from all walks of life.

In 2008 Leslie earned BA degrees with honors in Journalism and Spanish from the University of Montana. During college, she spent a year abroad in Chile honing her Spanish fluency, and she never forgot the hospitality shown to her by her host family. She later moved to Salt Lake City, where she worked with the American Heart Association via the AmeriCorps program and serendipitously met her soon-to-be husband while helping a mutual friend paint an apartment. They were married at the Tracy Aviary in August 2014 amid family, friends, and one turkey vulture, which the aviary staff assured her was "appropriate to have at a wedding" because "turkey vultures mate for life."

Following in her mother's and father's footsteps, Leslie went on to pursue a career in healthcare and earned a BS in Nursing from the University of Utah in 2014. Leslie first worked as a registered nurse at the Salt Lake City VA on the Surgical ICU floor where she formed special bonds with veterans. She had a self-proclaimed knack for getting the most "salty and curmudgeonly" patients to crack a smile - again, always finding ways to connect, comfort, and earn people's trust with her genuine warmth and keen wit.

By 2015, Leslie heard Montana calling her back home, and she left the VA to join Bozeman Deaconess (now Bozeman Health) as a float pool nurse before moving to the perioperative unit, where she remained as a RN until her passing. Colleagues knew her as a detail-oriented, compassionate caretaker who made every patient feel seen, safe, and cared for before and after surgery. They also knew her as a fun, quirky, approachable person who wore a fanny pack way before it was cool again and frequently wear her favorite hoodie, which proudly proclaimed, "Keeping things awkward since 1986!"

Diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes at age 24, Leslie refused to let the condition limit her. Instead, she took up backcountry skiing, ran more, biked more, dabbled in biathlon, and founded a "Delinquent Pancreas Club" meetup group for others living with T1D. She lived by her belief that diabetes would never hold her back — modeling her resilience and determination for her children, one of whom is also diabetic, and everyone around her.

Of all her talents, none shone brighter than motherhood. Being a mom was her absolute favorite thing in the world. She cherished every moment nurturing, guiding, and mentoring her two daughters, Elizabeth and Josephine Stadwiser. Leslie leaves behind pieces of her heart and all her love for them to carry forward always. Leslie read to her children every night—sharing childhood favorites like The Chronicles of Narnia and, as they grew, Harry Potter—instilling in them her joy of words and stories. She was fond of saying that food was her love language, so family dinners at the table were non- negotiable most nights; she insisted on connection, laughter, and presence. Her husband promises her to keep these traditions and values alive and embody her loving, kind, compassionate spirit raising their kids.

In Bozeman, Leslie lived in perpetual motion and creation: running, hiking, camping, skiing, gardening (her giant dahlias drew neighbors to stop and chat, delighting her), baking, playing cribbage, reading, and writing with sharp wit and skill. She would have greatly preferred an opportunity to have edited this obituary before publishing, and her changes no doubt would have made it much better. In her "spare time" (a generous term for someone so fully alive), she founded Red Twig Mountain Market, crafting and selling her own Montana-themed soaps, lotions, and jewelry creations. She delighted in bringing beauty, usefulness, and joy into the world — and in showing her girls what hard work, entrepreneurship, creativity, and safe power-tool use looks like.

Wherever Leslie walked, life bloomed, colors became brighter, conversations became warmer, and kindness shone through. She was always curious, quick-humored, and truly a radiant person inside and out. Though on occasion she'd solemnly swear she was up to no good, in truth she was a rule-follower at heart and incapable of cutting corners. She died with so much more love to give and will be missed terribly, but she leaves behind a legacy of pure love that will endure in every life she touched, every garden she tended, every story she shared, and every heart she opened. Rest well, sweet girl. Mischief managed.

Leslie is survived by her loving husband, William (Bill) Stadwiser; her cherished daughters, Elizabeth (Lizzie) and Josephine (Joey) Stadwiser; her mother, Deborah (Deb) Brown; her father, Kent Brown; and her sister, Kristen Brown. In childhood, Leslie was lucky enough to have close family friends, Frank and Debbie Crutcher, whom Leslie considered a second set of parents and whose son, Russell Crutcher, she considered a brother.

A celebration of Leslie's life will be held on Saturday, March 7, at 11:00 am at Dahl Funeral & Cremation Service at 300 Highland Blvd in Bozeman. Reception to follow. Come as you are - Leslie loved everything colorful. Bring only stories.

For those interested, Leslie's friends have established a donations page to support her children's current medical needs and future education costs, available online at https://www.gofundme.com/f/love-like-leslie.