A true Renaissance woman in a 21st century world, Leah grabbed life by the throat and nothing it seemed was beyond her curiosity, her need to know and her well developed sense of humor. In typical Leah fashion, when diagnosed with a debilitating brain disease in early spring of this year, she promptly took charge of tying up all the tangled threads of her life. Armed with papers that would allow her to go out her way and in her own time, she allowed no one to take her personal sovereignty away. Flipping the universe the bird with one hand and waving good bye to those she loved with the other, Leah left life as she had lived life. On her own terms.
Diagnosed OC from a young age, she wasn't the easiest person to know but being able to laugh at her own foibles went a long way to gathering up long term friends along the way. She was known to stoutly declare that the world in general could use a few good OC people in charge,which horrified everyone within hearing distance. Generous to a fault, just try tasting anything on her plate and you walked away bleeding from where she stuck her fork into your hand. I kid you not. She was maddening, irritating, high maintenance and tactless. She was also a marshmallow to the core, loyal and loving. Kids and animals fell in love instantly, something she would smugly point out when being taken to task for being mercurial.
When very young she was told by a Shaolin Priest that " Little Candle, you burn very brightly indeed". Well, that candle has gone out forever and we are all the poorer for it.
By her own request, there is to be no funeral and no flowers. Go plant a mock orange bush, she would say. "I haven' tended, I've just left this story."
Leah will be deeply missed by those who knew her and loved her. Leah was truly one of a kind.