Leslie Miglietta

1959 - 2019

Leslie Allison Piper Miglietta
May 16, 1959- May 4, 2019Leslie Allison Piper Miglietta passed away on May 4, 2019 after a short illness. She was born on May 18, 1959 in Keene, New Hampshire, as the second child of Anne and Roy Piper. She graduated from Keene High School in 1977 where she excelled in academics and music. She then went to Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, where she graduated Magna cum Laude with an A.B. in Biochemistry in 1981. While at Mount Holyoke, she did original research on the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. She then went to the University of Wisconsin, Madison and earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1987. Her thesis work was on the regulatory mechanisms of the protist Paramecium aurelia. It was in Madison where she met her husband, John Miglietta; they married in Keene in 1984. After completing their graduate work, they moved to Bethel Connecticut, where they lived for 31 years. While in Bethel, she started her scientific editing career. She built Clarity Editing from inception to a thriving business with hundreds of clients. Some of her clients have been with Clarity Editing for more than 25 years, and she has had the honor of editing the work of Nobel Prize winners. She also earned an MBA from Western Connecticut University in 2004.
Growing up, Leslie enjoyed summers spent at Spofford Lake, and on the Maine coast. Leslie always enjoyed time spent with others, especially sharing food and laughter in her home. She loved to walk in the woods of New England, and the places she enjoyed, such as Newport, RI and Salem, MA. She enjoyed opera, and frequented the Metropolitan Opera for many years.
She is survived by her husband of 34 years, John Miglietta, and her proudest achievement, her two sons, Thomas Crowley Miglietta, and James Piper Miglietta and his wife Hannah Dym. Her parents Anne and Roy Piper, and sister Kathrine Piper Swahnberg of Keene, NH. Her brothers Jon Piper of North Newton, KS, and Stephen Piper of Dover, NH and in-laws Beth Piper, Sue Piper, Chad Swahnberg, Ann and Joaquín Gonzáles, and Kim Strickland, her nieces, nephews, cousins, and Leslie's many friends will miss her light and kindness.
A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury on June 8th, at 10:30. In lieu of flowers, donations to the UUCD, Mount Holyoke, Planned Parenthood, or the charity of your choice can be considered.