Leslie Ann "Lucha" Dumas

Leslie Ann Dumas, 75, of Redford Township, passed away on Dec. 21.    Leslie was born in Detroit on Jan. 3, 1942 and grew up in Dearborn. She married the late Bernard Edward McCosky in 1957 (divorced in 1967) and had two children, Chris and John, before she was 18 years old. She raised both as a single mother, working steadily as a bartender, waitress and in various factories and shops.   Later she would find her true calling, her joy, as a bus driver and custodian for Redford Union Schools. Her love for the kids, teachers and staff was infectious and reciprocated. She was more than their driver and janitor, she was their friend and often, their confidante. There weren’t many in the district more popular in her time than Mrs. Dumas.     On Feb. 11, 1989, she married Frank Dumas, with whom she enjoyed a loving, fulfilling, awe-inspiring relationship until the day she passed. Frank and her sons saw her through two frightening bouts with cancer and helped her deal with diabetes and an increasing loss of sight.   Through all her hardships and health scares, her love of life, family and of people in general never wavered or waned. This is a woman who throughout her life fed needy children in her neighborhood, befriended people down on their luck and took in all sorts of stray cats and dogs. This woman, without thinking twice or asking for thanks, did an angel’s work on earth.    Leslie was preceded in death by her mother Anne, her father Lester and her brother Bud. She is survived by her husband Frank, his four children (Elaine, Barb, Rob and Ray), her sons Chris and John McCosky, her sister Sandra Johnson, as well as eight grandchildren and one great granddaughter.      A Memorial Gathering for Leslie will be held Wednesday, December 27, 2017 from 2:00 - 8:00 PM at Manns Family Funeral Home, 17000 Middlebelt, Livonia 48154.