Leona Ann Coburn

Leona (LeBlanc) Coburn was born and raised in Yarmouth, N.S., the daughter of Joseph LeBlanc and Doris (Lavin) LeBlanc. She has one younger sister, Jean. Family was central to Leona’s life and included her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides of the family. They formed the framework of the rest of her life.

Leona’s father was editor of the local newspaper and also wrote for the Halifax Chronicle Herald. Leona and Jean always felt connected to their community. In 1961 Yarmouth celebrated the 200th anniversary of its founding – a weeklong extravaganza during which 19- year-old Leona was selected Bicenturama Queen, an honour she received with grace and humility. She appeared at many events in Yarmouth and as well was invited to attend events in American towns with close ties to Yarmouth, accepting invitations from governors and dignitaries. In one extraordinary moment, she found her gloved hand in the hand of President John F. Kennedy as he greeted her, smiling, in front of the cameras. The Bicenturama celebration reflected the vitality, spirit and pride of Yarmouth citizens as well as their close ties with neighbouring American harbour towns. Leona was equally proud to represent her town and country.

As with many young women of her age upon graduation Leona sought employment and worked for a time in town. Later she decided to journey to Halifax to seek employment there while residing with her aunt. She soon found herself at the door of what was then CJCH TV- later to be ATV and then CTV - responding to a want ad for an assistant on a new game show. She was hired on the spot and thus began her lifelong career in television. This position led to her hosting her own Talk Show, interviewing many notable people including Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. As one of the very first female television hosts in the Maritimes she rose to the occasion through hard work, attention to detail and in-depth research for which she became well known and respected.

Leona’s dedication to her work led to employment opportunities at the television station, known as ATV. She eventually moved to the positions of director and producer and worked on various shows such as Maritime Country, Christmas Daddies, etc. Ultimately she became Executive Producer of the IWK Telethon for many years. Leona was a pivotal member of the Production Team with integral colleagues such as Steve Murphy. She remained in this role after she retired from CTV, emphasizing it was “always about the children”.

Leona was an articulate and innovative producer. She was serious about her work but maintained a dry sense of humour when the moment permitted. She was dedicated and respectful, earning the inestimable admiration and affection of her colleagues. Above all Leona remained a humble and quietly strong presence throughout her career. She never sought credit for her contributions, always seeing her task as simply doing her best.

Leona is survived by her sister Jean, also known as Jay (Brenda), her niece Nicole (Marc), her nephew Luc-André (Ashley). She is also survived by cousins Michelle, Sandra, Michael, Peter and Carol Anne. She was predeceased by her parents and her aunts Ursula, Claire, Vivian, Rosa, Geraldine and Katherine as well as her uncle Don. She is also dearly missed by her former husband Andy Coburn.

The family would like to extend our deep gratitude firstly to the remarkable caregivers, nurses, staff, management and Sisters at Caritas Residence in Halifax who lovingly welcomed and cared for Leona throughout her time there; we also want to thank those at the VG and the wonderful team on the Palliative Care Unit who carefully attended to her comfort and needs during her final days and who listened to our concerns as well.

An honouring of Leona’s life will be held at Snow’s Funeral Home in Halifax, on Saturday, April 18, 2026 between 2 and 4pm, with words of remembrance shared at 2:30.

Donations in Leona’s name may be given to the IWK Foundation or the charity of your choice.