Leslie Elizabeth Williams Cain

Fourth-generation Walla Walla resident Leslie Elizabeth (Williams) Cain passed from this world on May 8, 2019, after a brief battle with cancer.

Leslie was born in Walla Walla in 1953 to Miles (Mike) and Virginia (Moultrop) Williams.  She attended Lowden School and Walla Walla High School graduating in 1971.  She attended Whitman College for two years and University of Washington for three years, studying art.

Leslie met Terrill “Terry” Cain in Seattle while attending college and they married July 14, 1979, at her family’s farm in the Oregon Hills.  Terry and Leslie operated Cain and Cain, a custom cabinetry business and delved into custom audio equipment in later years.

Leslie’s art career begin as a child, when she would draw pictures of horses in school, which were skilled beyond her years, only to have them confiscated by the teacher.  Her teacher later game them back to her in one large pile, telling Leslie they were too beautiful to throw away.  She painted all the days of her life, ever evolving and refining her skills and techniques.  Leslie was a self-supporting artist whose work was shown in numerous galleries throughout the Northwest, including Davidson Gallery in Seattle, Phinney Gallery in Joseph, Oregon, Seven Hills Winery, and in countless shows and other displays.  Leslie worked at Whitman College in the Sheehan Gallery as well.  Many of her paintings are featured in the book Many Waters: Natural History of the Walla Walla Valley and Vicinity by Whitman Geology professor Robert Carson (2015).  Leslie loved to teach art, always mentoring those who expressed interest in the craft.  She viewed herself as coach, bringing out the best of each person’s inner artist.

Leslie loved the outdoors and felt most at ease with her feet on the ground, surrounded by the natural beauty of the area, which also served as the primary subject of her paintings.  “She loved most “noodling around” in her truck taking pictures of the landscape as inspiration for future are creations.  She especially enjoyed grabbing a fellow “road warrior” for breakfast before the excursion to share in the journey and bear witness to the Beauty that surrounds us on the road less traveled.  Her friend Janice King described a trip with Leslie on one of these expeditions as “following Leslie around on weekends as she wildly gestured towards this and that formation or memory and told me theories.”  Good friends and constant companions were a very important part of Leslie’s life, including Paul Fransman and Pam Shultz, who surrounding her during her last hours.

Leslie is survived by her brother, Bruce Williams (Melani) of Walla Walla; sisters, Lynn McKinnon (Jack) of Touchet and Sharon Murray (Jimmy) of Australia; and numerous nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Terry Cain, and her parents.

A Celebration of Life is planned for June 15, 2019, from 2-4 PM at the home of Jon and Mary Campbell, 336 McCorkle Lane, Walla Walla.

In Lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Lincoln High School Art and Music Programs through Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder St., Walla Walla, WA