Leslie Baldwin Nichols Kremer died on March 14, 2025 in the early morning hours as the crow moon set in the west and dawn was breaking on the horizon.
Leslie was born on Oct. 16, 1937, to Henry Baldwin Nichols and Esther Shears Nichols in Worcester, Mass. She spent her early childhood in Litchfield, Conn., with her two sisters Julie and Hope and younger brother Hank.
Leslie attended Colby College, where she majored in English. In her first year, when Leslie was only 18, her mother died in a tragic car accident. The loss of her beloved mother stayed with her for the rest of her life. She was incredibly fortunate that her father remarried, and her stepmother Deborah entered her life.
During her college years, Leslie spent many winter weekends skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain, and after graduation, moved to North Conway, N.H., to teach second grade at John H. Fuller School. Leslie went on to become a kindergarten teacher in the Fryeburg, Maine, school district where for many years she influenced a host of young people, teaching kindness alongside the ABCs.
In 1961, she married Bretton Russell, whom she met skiing at Sugarloaf. Together they had four daughters: Jessica, Melanie, Kristen and Hilary. Eventually Leslie and Brett divorced but they maintained a close friendship. The respect they showed each other was an example for family and friends alike.
When Leslie was in her early 50s, she decided to explore her love of cooking, and in 1988 embarked on this new adventure by going to Grasmere, England, where she worked in the kitchen at Michael’s Nook. She returned home with an increased passion for cooking and became a sous chef at Chez Alain in Conway. She went on to cook at the Snowvillage Inn where she became lifelong friends with a number of amazing people.
Her love of travel and desire for adventure took her to the 7D Ranch in the Sunlight Basin in Cody, Wyo., and the Flying E Ranch in Arizona, where she was head chef.
In 1992, she met John Kremer III. It was love at first sight for John and it didn’t take Leslie long to realize she felt the same. They shared a love of travel, cooking, walking and hiking the White Mountains, as well as cross-country skiing. They were married in June 1994, in the backyard of her Fryeburg home, surrounded by their children. They had many wonderful adventures together, including volunteering for the Peace Corps in Lithuania for two years.
Leslie was an amazing gardener. When her children were looking for her, they knew they’d find her tending her gardens. She was an incredible cook. Her kitchen always smelled of blueberry muffins, or some other wonderful baked treat, homemade soups, or a scrumptious roast pork with the perfect potatoes. She was a generous, kind soul who never hesitated to help someone in need. She was a natural teacher and nurturer. Family was immensely important to her, as was community. She volunteered as a cook at the Dinner Bell and two thrift shops.
Leslie leaves behind her husband, John Kremer III; her children Jessica and her husband, Filippo, of Foligno, Italy; Kristen and her husband, David, of Fryeburg, Maine; Hilary and her husband, Rene, of Foligno, Italy; her stepchildren John IV and Erika of London UK, Ellen Christian of Bartlett, N.H.; her grandchildren Allison and Camilla Battoni, Henry and Milo Kremer, Theo and Max Christian, Silva and Eyob Treiser Brown; her oldest sister Julie Cook ’51; as well as many wonderful nieces and nephews and their children who she loved very much. The family would like to thank her “chosen family” Jessyca Broekman who painted with Leslie and enjoyed many walks with her, especially in her final years, and Leslie’s caretaker, Deborah Parker, who loved and cared for her and John deeply.
She is predeceased by her parents Esther and Henry Nichols, her stepmother Deborah Nichols, her infant daughter Melanie, her sister Hope Zanes Butterworth ’54 and her brother Hank Nichols.
It has been a long “goodbye” as dementia took away bits of Leslie, but at her core she was always there, and to the end knew her daughters and husband. Leslie’s kindness, her love for family and friends, her wisdom, her radiant smile, her sparkle in her eyes, her enjoyment of music (classical, musicals, folk, rock and reggae), her sense of humor, her contagious laugh and njoyment of all living things will be great missed.
Arrangements were made through Furber Funeral Home and Cremation Services. A celebration of Leslie’s life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider planting or caring for a tree in Leslie’s memory (she loved trees), cook for someone in need of a good meal or show a stranger kindness … this is what Leslie would appreciate.
