Leslie Lynn Dyar

Leslie Lynn (Smock) Dyar, 71, passed away peacefully at home on the night of September 25, 2026. She was born on Father’s Day in 1955 to Pat and Bill Smock in Indianapolis.

Leslie described her parents and her childhood as wonderful. She grew up in the city of her birth on West 53rd Street, and her favorite playgrounds were the woods and creek behind her house. Her older sisters, Cindy and Becky, say that Leslie was a people pleaser and the teacher’s pet.

During elementary school, Leslie was active in ballet at the Jordan Academy of Dance. She also loved singing in the choir as a member of the Crooked Creek Crickets. She continued dancing in high school performances and as a young adult. Along with friends Marlene and Donna, Leslie wrote a winning act for North Central High School’s Junior Spectacular. Although she described herself as an introvert, Leslie was social chair and vice president of her Delta Gamma sorority at Indiana University.

Leslie married Rick in 1978 after a courtship that began when they were 17. She gave birth to and nurtured four adored children, Jessie, Will, Lainey, and Tracy. Rick needlessly reminded them on more than one Mother’s Day that they had won the mom lottery. He didn’t have to - they already knew.

During a career in education, Leslie taught and then became the executive director of the preschool at Bethel United Methodist Church, presiding over the school’s 50th anniversary. She continued her work with children as a teaching assistant at Eagle Creek Elementary School.

Changing focus, Leslie looked south and began searching for land in Brown County. After finding seven acres that were just right, she oversaw the design, construction, and furnishing of a small log cabin in the woods that became a beloved family retreat. While in Brown County, Leslie used her skills as a certified reflexologist to promote wellness for residents of Columbus, Indiana and surrounding areas.

In midlife, Leslie’s creativity blossomed when she taught herself to play guitar and began writing well over 100 songs. Leslie sang those songs with friends Allen and Rene as a trio named All Day Long. They first played for friends and in church. All Day Long later performed at the IU Auditorium for the annual Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church and then on a mission trip to Peru with Samaritan’s Feet and the IUPUI men’s basketball team.

During a span of 14 years, Leslie welcomed grandchildren Evie, Cam, Kenzie, Gavin, Max, Payton, Tripp, Aubrey, and Rhett. Above all other aspects, they became the joy of her life. She led them on excursions through the woods and stomping in the creek. They drew countless pictures, wrote and performed skits, read books galore, cooked, baked, and decorated, sang, and told jokes. She assured them they could do anything they put their minds to - no limits.

Leslie had strong connections with her friends, even when they did not see each other for long periods of time. She cherished women’s retreats with Andrea, Susan, and many others. Her Wayfinding group of Jenny, Jay, Susan, Michelle, Rachel, and Stew was especially dear to her in recent years.

A casual and colorful celebration of Leslie’s full life is planned for 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at Eagle's Hideaway, 8901 West 65th Street, Indianapolis. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Peace Learning Center at Eagle Creek Park. Leslie’s family is particularly grateful to the doctors and nurses at Community MD Anderson Cancer Center - South for the skillful and compassionate care that they provided to Leslie.