Very sorry to hear about LeeAnne's passing.  She was a favorite of mine. We sat next to each other in English class and one day I made her laugh a little to hard and she got in trouble.  Once the teacher looked away, LeeAnne stabbed me in the knee with her pencil. To this day I can look at my knee and see the lead still in there.......and to this day I laugh at the fun we had.  I carry her memory with me always.
Pat Michael

She had an infectious laugh.  I was making her laugh in class.  She stabbed me in the knee with a pencil.  We laughed alot.  The lead is still in my knee. I'll never have it removed.  I think of her every time I look at my knee!


Hey sis I miss you so much! more and more each day...Just downs't seem fair that your gone so fast when we finally are close to retireing and can enjoy  each other more! Curt & I are working on our scrap books and all the pictures of our life keep coming up...see you in heaven one day !  XOXOXOX Val

My deepest sympathies to LeeAnne's family.

Uncle Dave, Jason, Sube, Liv, and Rea,
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you, and I love you guys so much. I'll always smile when I think about all of the amazing times I've had with Auntie Lee. She could always make me smile and laugh, no matter what. She was the most caring person in the entire world and opened her heart to everyone. I'm so thankful that I was able to talk to her and the rest of the family on Thanksgiving while I'm away. She was so happy and full of life that day, as she was every day. I thought of Auntie Lee last weekend, and lit a candle in her memory at Notre Dame in Paris. I will miss her so much and I will never forget all of the amazing memories we've shared. Rest in Peace Auntie Lee

Condolences to all of Leeanne's family and friends.  I have not seen her smile in 40 years but remember it like yesterday. What a wonderful person she was.

Leeanne, Joan and I will surely miss seeing you around the neighborhood, driving your beloved PT Cruiser or on one of your walks.  Your enthusiasm for life and cheerful demeanor was always an inspiration to us!

We will miss her smiling face around our neighborhood!   Everyone is so sad she is gone!  Thanks for being in our lives Leeann!

Sincere condolences to you all, our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Pam and Rocky Juarez

Rest In Paradise Auntie Lee * I will always remember all the amazing times that we had together, all the walks we had, && everything that you ever told me. Your beautiful smile, kind words, one of a kind laugh, great sense of style, and heart of gold filled with nothing but love && compassion will forever be embedded into my mind. I will never forget all of the advice that you've given me or any of the positive comments you made that lifted my spirits when I needed it the most. When I look up at the sun, I know you're up there smiling && shining down on us. Another beautiful angel to add to my list -- I'll see you again one sweet day Auntie, but until then please watch over our amazing family && protect / guide us ; I love you forever && always Auntie Lee XOXO â™¥

Uncle Dave, Jason, Sube, Aliveah and Moorea - You are all in my mind and in my thoughts.  I'll always remember Auntie Lee's smile, energy and love.  She was so much fun and such an awesome 'Antie'. I feel lucky for having been able to spend such a great Thanksgiving with her and Uncle Dave. It's another great lasting memory to go along with all of the others she has given me. I will surely miss her a lot.

I loved Lee's smile, it lit up the room.  Although I didn't get to see her that often, she is one of my favorite people.  She will be greatly missed, but I know she is smiling down on us!!!

I too went to school with Leeanne and I remember her as such a wonderful person with a contagious smile and laughter. No matter what was going on she would look at you with this beautiful smile and all would be ok. I'm sure she is looking down and smiling on her family and friends with such great love. My heart goes out to her family and close friends.
An Old friend, Pamela Van Gelder aka:Matina

David--I will miss her great sense of humor & shared neighborhood stories.  I'm thankful to have known such a kind person. No words really help at this time. I wish you peace.  Your neighbors are here for you.

Leeanee rip and sympathies to her family.

My Condolences to the family. Leeanne had the best smile and laugh!  Beautiful girl, I'll always remember her. Class of “70”

I attended school with Leeanne since 3rd grade, at Fletcher Elementary. She always had such a sweet spirit.  Rest in Peace, and love and comfort to the family. You are in my prayrs

david, so sorry to hear of her passing. lee was always kind to renee,ryan and myself.i will miss her stories in the alley

My prayers go out to the family during this difficult time. I attended Kearny High School with Leeanne and was in several classes with her. Her laughter and smiles were always present. She will be missed but her Spirit will live on! Rest-In-Peace with God my friend...

Leeanne Purtell (1952-2012)
Eulogy by Jason Robertson, son

As you all know, this has come as quite a shock. Although she had a major surgery two years ago, she was slowly recovering and getting stronger. My mother's passing was unexpected and devastating to us all. Despite the sudden nature, we have been strengthened by the tremendous support from family and friends. My father David and I want to thank all of the family and friends who have come to be here with us, especially the Purtells, who have traveled across the country. We also want to thank the Keena family for, once again, opening their home to us all.

Mom turned 60 this year. She returned last week from a Thanksgiving trip to Massachusetts, where she had a great visit. Fortunately, my family was able to have a couple video chats, while they were there, and she looked very happy. It was on this trip, in Dad's home town of Tewksbury, two weeks ago, that they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.  My family was looking forward to Grandma Lee and Grandpa Dave's visit up to stay with us in Santa Cruz this Christmas…

Though she was born in Bay City, Michigan, she was a true California Girl. She lived here from the time she was 6 years old, with her parents, two older brothers and two baby sisters. They took fun trips where they would head up to the mountains of Julien then onto Palm Desert and end up in Las Vegas, staying at the Circus Circus. In the early years, they would also make regular trips back to Michigan. 

For fun, they played in the canyon behind the house that became home to so many of us: 2650 Tern Drive. The three sisters loved to catch and bring home polliwogs to leave in buckets in the backyard. Sometimes, there were dozens turning into frogs and hopping around. I can just picture my mom, with all her energy, running around chasing them.

Her interest in science and nature was always evident. For many years, she had a microscope lying around. Her curiosity about the world was precious and contagious. She loved anatomy and all things medical. I remember helping her study to become a medical assistant, testing her with flash cards. Talk about a love of nature—for several years, she let me have any pets our rental agreement would allow: a hamster, a couple of rats (they were always my favorite pets) and for some reason (I think because it was “free”, this crazy parrot we named Willy). We quickly learned that you CANNOT teach ALL parrots to talk, nor can you get them to stop squawking!

Being a single mom, at one point she got me signed up with a Big Brother. He was a cool guy who took me to the tide pools and eventually helped me set up a salt water tank with a few sea anemones. Science, nature, and the ocean…

My mother LOVED the ocean, as I'm sure everyone here knows. First it was ships and shells, then later, lighthouses. We have a LOT of lighthouses. 26, I think. The girls counted yesterday.  Each one was worth a million dollars. Lots of things she had were each worth a million dollars. It's taken me this long to get it. They WERE worth a million dollars…to her. 

This was part of my mother's charm (and what could sometimes drive you crazy): her desire to talk about any subject, at any time, even if maybe the facts weren't quite totally accurate.  
Yesterday, we were talking about the lighthouses. My wife, Sube, was wondering about the symbolism.  We discovered that Lighthouses are a symbol of guidance, salvation and safety; they tell us security and home are well within reach. I hope that Mom has now found the perfect lighthouse.

When we lived in Ocean Beach, we were at the seashore constantly, whether it was taking a walk on the O.B. pier, cruising down Newport Avenue, or hanging out at Dog Beach.
I'm not sure where her fascination with the beach and the sea was rooted, but it was rooted very deeply. She transferred it to me, and I am passing that love on to my daughters. I know she was very excited to see them starting to take interest in the little green G&S surfboard that my Uncle Johnny and Uncle Rusty had custom made for me when I was about 9 years old.  Mom kept it safe all these years, and a few years back, we brought it up to Santa Cruz.  My wife had it restored so that we could all ride it again. Aliveah and Moorea have both paddled around on it, but one day I hope one of them wants to ride it. I just surfed on it a couple of weeks ago. This is one of the many things that will always remind me of Mom.
 
When they were in school, she, Colleen and Val belonged to service clubs and volunteered especially frequently at the local convalescent hospital. So, her compassionate, caring nature has been there always. I know that for every person I talk to, this has been the most important characteristic about my mom. She cared about others deeply. She was always willing to help. She helped my Aunt with a big fundraiser; she cared for my grandmother in her later years. I remember times in our O.B. apartment when we would hear a crash outside at night. She would tell me to call 911, and grab a first aid kit and run out there to help someone who had gotten into a car accident.  Leeanne was always the one willing to lend a hand to anyone in need, and when it came to her sisters, she was the big sister, even though she was just over a year older.  She was also sometimes the “referee” for the twins.

Everyone here knows that early on, life was not easy for Mom and me. She raised me as a single parent and we didn't have a lot. So, many have asked me, how did you “turn out the way you did?” Boy, I hope they mean that in a good way! For that question, I have an answer: Unconditional Love. No matter what I did, or how little we had, there was always more than enough of that to go around. 

Speaking of love, how about the love of her life? What would we have ever done without my father, David? As I have told him more than once, he is the best thing that could have ever happened to us. And I mean, Us. By meeting him, our lives changed forever. She gained a husband; I gained a father. We gained an entire family: The Purtells. My mom always joked about winning the lottery. This is close enough for me.

Most of you know how much I meant to her, and she to me. But this love extended well beyond me, to all her family, from East to West. She doted on her nieces and nephews and was an amazing aunt. Whether it was getting down on the floor to crawl around with them, making funny faces, or just laughing with them and being silly, she was always a kid-at-heart. This is why children loved her so much. She was amazing with them, whether they were the children at the preschool where she worked, nieces, nephews, or her own two grandchildren. Boy did she love them.

There is a thread here that I have come to see more closely. Her unconditional love and compassion are one and the same. And further, they extended to just about everyone she met. I used to wonder how she seemed to know every neighbor in the complex, and could strike up a conversation with just about anyone.  Soon after meeting them, she would be sharing stories and hearing about their lives. It's no wonder; she was curious about them, and without judgment, cared about them, no matter who they were.

She told us that she was a bell hop for Sheraton when she was young. She said the travelers, especially big guys, would be amazed at how she could lift those heavy suitcases. She loved to tell the girls that she ran track at Kearny High. She was very athletic and a great dancer, too! She had a ton of energy, and sometimes would just not stop.  And she was strong. She was strong.  She never gave up, even when things got tough. 

This never-give-up attitude transferred to her love of learning also. For a long time, it seemed she was always taking one class or another. We were extremely proud of her when she completed her Associate's degree in 2007, at the age of 55. You can see why teaching pre-school was such an excellent fit for her. Her love of learning and children met there.

I don't know how much more I can say about my mother. She is an inspiration to us, in many ways. Despite challenges she faced in her life, and sometimes pain, she persevered. From financial hardships, to medical ones, she did her best to keep a positive attitude and never give up. Though she could be a challenge sometimes, like each of us, she was a compassionate, caring person above all else. 

In writing this eulogy, I have learned so much about my mother that I wish I could tell her once again how special she was. She was an original, to the Core. Thank you, Mom, for all that you've given us.

I am so sorry to hear about Leeanne's passing. My sympathies to the family.

My heart pains for your loss she was an amazing person,the world was a better place with her in it . My love and prayers go out to all of you . There is a new star and a new angle about and with us ..Leeanne thanks for being in my life love Gaylene.

Peace and comfort to Leeann's family. We have posted this sad news to the Kearny High School Class of 1970 facebook page.

David, Ron and I were so saddened to hear of Lee's passing.  If we met in the neighborhood she always had time for some fun conversation.  We will miss Lee. Your album pictures are beautiful and a wonderful tribute to her.   Our thoughts go out to you and your family.

Her kindness and laugh will never be forgotten.

Her laughter and kindness will always be remembered.

I recognized Leeanne immediately from the high school photo in the paper.  It brought many memories rushing back to me.  I attended Kearny High School and was in Leanne's class.  So very sorry to hear of her passing.  My sympathy to her family.

Thinking of ALL of you at this sad time. To Soon and too quick.. I have to say that I enjoyed my talks with Lee when we were together...She will be greatly missed!!!! Dave, she was a beautiful wwoman who loved you so so very much,,,Jason, she spoke so proudly and with lots of love for you and your wife...and she adored those two beautiful granddaughters... I wish I was able to see her on her last visit to Mass... She will be missed greatly.. Again I am sorry, my thoughts and prayers go out to each one of you.

Words seem inadequate to express the sadness I feel and so fortunate that we able to spend so much time with you both over the Holiday.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and all of your family.

OBITUARY

LeeAnne J. Purtell

February 11, 1952 – November 29, 2012

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