Leslie's maternal grandmother, Sadie Räsänen, was born in Baraga, Michigan. By 1940, she had moved to lower Michigan and became a telegraph operator. Leslie's great-grandfather, Peter Räsänen, worked at the Ford saw mill in Baraga. He was a fireman (stoked the steam plant boilers) and later became a stationary engineer. Ford Motor company used a tremendous amount of wood to produce automobiles in the early years. They had substantial timber interests in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Eventually, Ford spun off their wood production interests. One of the spin-offs became Kingsford charcoal.