Nearly every day, Terrace Heights resident Mel Leskinen drives past PNWU’s Yakima campus. His eyes often wander to a sunlit corner of Butler-Haney Hall, specifically, the anatomy lab where, through shining glass, his beloved wife Sheila rests.
“Sheila’s there,” he says softly, a small smile crossing his face. “She’s still helping people. Just like she always wanted to do.”
That simple phrase – still helping – carries the weight of their shared life together. It’s who Sheila was. And through Mel’s unwavering love and their lasting commitment to the PNWU Legacy Society, it’s what they will continue to do for generations to come.
A Shared Life of Purpose
When Mel and Sheila retired from their careers in Alaska and moved to Yakima in 2007, they were simply looking for sunshine and community. What they found was far more meaningful: a growing health sciences university just down the road, and a chance to make a difference.
A flyer for a PNWU open house led them to campus, where they met Dr. Joe DiMeo, the founding Chair of Family Medicine. He invited them to serve as Standardized Patients, trained volunteers who help student doctors practice their bedside manner.
“Sheila said right away, ‘This is something we can do together. We’d be helping students,’” Mel recalled.
And for nearly a decade, that’s exactly what they did. They spent countless hours in exam rooms, encouraging and coaching students as they learned to become compassionate physicians.
“They were smart, respectful, motivated,” Mel said. “It gave us so much hope to see them come through. We knew they’d go on to change lives.”
That hope became their purpose.
A Love Rooted in Compassion
Long before Yakima, Alaska, or PNWU, there was a dance floor in Oklahoma City. Mel, from Anchorage, and Sheila, from Chicago, met by chance at a national square-dancing event.
They danced until their feet ached, talked for hours, and never looked back. Even when a cancer diagnosis delayed their wedding, they pressed on. They married that December and celebrated with a New Year’s Eve square dance in Seattle.
“Sheila was the type of person who wouldn’t just throw you a rope if you were in trouble,” Mel said.
“She’d jump in the hole with you and climb out together.”
In Yakima, Mel became known as “The One-Rose Guy,” regularly surprising Sheila with a single rose from a local florist. Even as cancer returned, they held on tightly to their traditions, their laughter, and each other.
A Final Gift of Love
Years before she passed, Sheila decided to donate her body to PNWU’s Gift of Body program, a final act of service to the students she believed in so deeply.
“She told me, ‘If I can keep helping someone, that’s what I want,’” Mel remembered.
Her only concern? That something might prevent her from making it to campus.
“She wanted to be there,” Mel said quietly. “And she is. She made it.”
Today, Sheila is still teaching in PNWU’s anatomy lab. She continues to inspire and educate the student doctors who walk through those doors every day. When the time comes, Mel plans to join her.
Carrying Their Legacy Forward
“Sheila and I always believed in helping others, even after we’re gone,” Mel says. “The PNWU Legacy Society gave us a way to keep doing that together.”
By including PNWU in their estate plans, Mel and Sheila became proud members of the Legacy Society. A special community of supporters whose generosity helps sustain the university’s mission for generations.
Legacy Society gifts fund scholarships, support faculty, and ensure future healthcare providers have the tools and training to care for those who need it most.
It’s a commitment that perfectly reflects the values Mel and Sheila lived by: community, compassion, and continuity.
The Seeds They Planted
From their years as Standardized Patients, to Sheila’s final gift through the Gift of Body program, to their decision to include PNWU in their will, Mel and Sheila have become an inseparable part of the PNWU family.
“We were there from the beginning,” Mel reflects. “We watered these seeds.”
And those seeds are still growing. Still blooming. Still helping.
Join the PNWU Legacy Society
The Legacy Society honors generous individuals who include PNWU in their estate plans — creating a lasting impact on students, faculty, and communities for generations to come.
Legacy gifts can be made through:
- Wills or living trusts
- Retirement plans or IRAs
- Life insurance policies
- Charitable trusts
- Gift of body
- Other planned giving arrangements
Learn more or notify us of your intent to give:
Adam Story
PNWU Office of Advancement
509.249.7862
astory@pnwu.edu
planmylegacy.pnwu.edu/legacy-society