Leah Fackos Klumph

Leah is survived by her parents, Catherine and John Fackos of Falmouth, MA, brother Dean Fackos, niece Serena Fackos, sister-in-law Mary O’Loughlin, niece and nephew, Molly Connolly and Luke O’Loughlin, and longtime childhood friend, Abera Delany, cousins Louise Baslik and Jimmy Limberakis, their parents Kay and Leo Limberakis, cousin Michael McGowan and grandniece Shea Mary and grandnephew Dillon Michael. Leah was preceded in death by her aunt, Frances Tsiknas Vallone.

Leah was born October 3, 1952 in Wareham, Massachusetts, and was raised in Falmouth, Massachusetts in the Greek Orthodox Church. As a young girl Leah was an active member of Rainbow Assembly #73. Leah was amazingly talented in so many areas, but her first loves were the theatre and writing. She also enjoyed learning cooking and baking from her mother, grandmother Aglaia and grandmother Christina. In high school she was involved in chorus, drama club, the school newspaper, Cape Cod Music Festival, French Club-vice president, Key Club and she was a student reporter for the Cape Cod Times. As the student reporter she wrote reviews of performances at the Highfield Theatre, the College Light Opera, and the Falmouth summer theatre. All of her activities left little time for geography class which was a point of constant ribbing with friends and family throughout her life.

Leah did not slow down after high school taking her energy and enthusiasm to Ithaca College where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama with a minor in English in 1975. She went on to earn a Master’s Degree from Boston University in Journalism and a second Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington.

After graduating from B.U., Leah worked for the City of Boston’s Boston Seniority paper as its Arts and Entertainment Editor. Leah utilized her writing and photography skills to both interview famous older celebrities such as Helen Hayes and interview and report on intimate subjects such as elder sexuality.

In 1982, Leah married her beloved husband, John P. Klumph, and after a six-week honeymoon to Greece they moved to Washington, D.C. where Leah was a staff writer for Congressional Quarterly. A few years later, life took John and Leah to Plano, Texas, where their circle of friends and family grew. Their daughter Zoe, born April 26, 1996 completed their family. Almost! In Orlando, Leah, who never wanted a pet since she was allergic to long hair animals, fell in love with two boxers, Lucky and her daughter Charm, who became her constant companions in later years.

In Plano, Leah continued to enjoy her journalist endeavors as she wrote for the Texas Women’s News and the advertorial front cover story “Shopping North Dallas” for the Dallas Morning News (DMN). Ultimately she became the writer for the “True Romance” Column of the DMN. Leah loved this job because of the pure nature of getting to know many people and getting to hear their stories of love. Leah continued writing this column even after the family moved to Orlando, Florida in 2002.

It did not take long for Leah to become quite involved locally in Orlando. Leah wrote articles for Windermere Preparatory School on a regular basis, for placement in local papers. She worked tirelessly to raise money for the school, whether it was through Box Tops for Education or planning or helping host an enormously successful fund raising gala. The schools where Zoe attended also benefited greatly, because another one of Leah’s gifts was the artistic eye for taking fabulous pictures. Leah not only provided an endless number of craft ideas – as well as going to the school to help the students with the craft projects, she photographed the students in class, at special events, and then published stories for all of the students and their families to enjoy. She captured as many memories for students as possible and it thrilled her to be able to share them. There were a variety of newsletters over the years who, benefited from her journalist’s touch, such as the D.C. Hospitality newsletter (HFTP), and she assisted in the planning of a variety of business functions in support of her husband John. Leah also did a variety of social work with seniors throughout the years, especially enjoying arts and crafts. Beyond her dedication to work, Leah enjoyed her life with her enormous circle of friends and family. Everyone was introduced to Leah’s “son” Randy, a raccoon who became a part of the family and vast circle of friends beginning in Washington D.C. in 1985. Leah loved to entertain at her home or at any venue you might choose, and you can bet there would be an ppearance by Randy at most of them. She was a fabulous cook and baker, who took great pleasure sharing recipes from her Greek heritage, which she was also very proud to share. She spent hours preparing the most elaborate cakes for friends and family, and they were as delicious to eat as they were amazing to look at. But her talents didn’t stop there. She was the most organized and detailed party / extravaganza planner, complete with the ultimate gift bag for each event. To say she was famous for the party gift bags is an understatement, whether you wanted the best chocolates or the other surprises she included.

On the rare occasion Leah found herself alone, she loved to read and enjoyed a variety of music. She loved attending the symphony, and yes, she loved to travel. If she was not the cook for the evening she would not hesitate to join you to go out to dinner. She was an accomplished photographer who enjoyed taking pictures of friends, family, and places she traveled. Leah gathered great friends throughout her life, who she worked diligently to keep in touch with. Many of those friends were the benefactor of both her loyal and generous friendship and her counseling skills. Her heart was as big as Texas, and there was absolutely nothing she would not do to help any of those who were blessed enough to cross paths with her.

Leah was a tremendously devoted mother to her beloved daughter Zoe. She dedicated her life to making sure that Zoe was schooled in strong values and supported in developing healthy self-esteem.

Likewise, Leah throughout her life provided loving help and support for her parents.

As we celebrate her life, we’re sure she’s dancing in heaven with that winning smile we all know and will miss forever.

Leah Fackos Klumph, precious wife, adoring mother, and amazing friend, enjoy the dance, until we meet again.

The Top 10 Things I’ll Remember about Leah . . .

10. Sushi – Her eyes would sparkle at the mention of sushi

9. The Cape – Her birthplace and family roots in Falmouth, MA

8. The West Orange Times – Leah (always the journalist) submitted countless stories and photos of our children and their achievements

7. Libra – Leah’s zodiac sign – She was the peacekeeper and always strove for harmony with everyone and everything

6. Purple – Leah’s favorite color

5. All things Greek – Leah embraced her Greek heritage and shared the food and customs with all of us. She taught me to make spanakopita and kourambiedes.

4. Fundraising – Leah supported all children and their fundraising activities. She not only wanted to support their efforts, she wanted them to be the Top Seller!

3. Birthdays and Holidays – No one celebrated holidays and birthdays like Leah – her Goodie Bags are renowned

2. Slushy Chardonnay – Leah loved her Chardonnay icy cold

1. Her spirit of generosity and love. She was selfless and found joy in celebrating other people.

In lieu of flowers below are some of Leah’s Favorite Charities:

John B. Harcourt Memorial Scholarship for memorial contributions.

Please send your gift to Sean Mann, Ithaca College, Gift Processing, 953 Danby Road, Ithaca, NY 14850

American Heart Association www.heart.org

Orlando Humane Society/SPCA of Central Florida -

https://donate.aspca.org/Donate/Donations/Website/Website_Memorial.aspx?PlacementID=2475670

College Light Opera Company P.O. Box 906 Falmouth, MA 02541 (a 501C3 Corporation)

The Dallas Morning News Published: 09 August 2012 11:12 PM

True Romance writer dies

Leah Fackos Klumph listened to people’s stories of love. For almost 20 years, she wrote the True Romance column for The Dallas Morning News. She wrote about the young and the old, blind dates that worked, sweethearts who reconnected, pen pals who got married and more. She continued writing the feature after she moved to Florida in 2002.

Mrs. Klumph, 59, died July 30 after a brief illness. Services were Wednesday at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Orlando, with burial at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Funeral Home.

“She loved people, and she loved life,” said Kathleen Green, her True Romance editor at The News. “Even after she moved to Orlando, she would send these random holiday-themed gifts to my children. She was one of the most thoughtful, giving, nonjudgmental people I’ve ever known. To her, life should be celebrated.”

Born Oct. 3, 1952, in Wareham, Mass., Mrs. Klumph worked for her high school newspaper and was a student reporter for the Cape Cod Times. She earned a bachelor’s degree in drama with a minor in English from Ithaca College and two master’s degree — one in journalism from Boston University and another in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington.

In her job as an editor for Boston’s Seniority paper, she interviewed older celebrities such as Helen Hayes and wrote about senior issues. After she married John Klumph in 1982, the couple moved to Washington, D.C., where she was a staff writer for Congressional Quarterly.

A few years later, they moved to Plano. In a column about their 20th wedding anniversary, Mrs. Klumph wrote, “The most joyous part of our Dallas adventure was adopting our daughter, Zoe.”

In Texas, Mrs. Klumph continued her journalism career as a writer for Texas Women’s News and for the advertorial front cover story called “Shopping North Dallas” for The News. She started the True Romance column in the mid-’80s.

When the family moved to Orlando in 2002, Mrs. Klumph wrote articles for Windermere Preparatory School and raised funds for the school. She also photographed students for school publications. She had become an accomplished photographer.

Lori Lombardi Ryan of Windermere, Fla., met Mrs. Klumph when their daughters were in second grade.

“It was an instant, close friendship,” Mrs. Lombardi Ryan said. “She was so incredibly generous, and it was always about what you liked. She became my Florida family.”

In her spare time, Mrs. Klumph loved to read, cook and listen to a variety of music. She also enjoyed traveling and attending the symphony.

Along with her husband and daughter, survivors include her parents, Catherine and John Fackos, and brother Dean Fackos, all of Falmouth, Mass.

Memorials may be made to the John B. Harcourt Memorial Scholarship at Ithaca College, the American Heart Association, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or College Light Opera Company of Falmouth.

Tributes to her life and details about where to make contributions can be found at www.woodlawnfuneralhomegotha.com.