Leona Carol (Phillips) Crow

Leona, also known as Lee, was an avid reader, a knowledgeable gardener, a proud veteran, and so much more.

She adored her family; her father, Fred Phillips, her mother, Leona Phillips, whose namesake she was, and her older sister, Rae (Regina) Barnett. The first nice toy Lee remembered receiving was an Alice-in-Wonderland doll from Rae purchased after the end of World War II.

She was predeceased by her parents, older sister, ex-husband; Charles Crow, and nephew, Todd Barnett. She is survived by her son Michael Crow (Jennifer), her grandchild Kai Crow, and two nephews; Bruce Barnett and Scott Barnett (Esther).

Lee was born in Seattle, and grew up in the Queen Anne neighborhood. She was a Queen Anne High School “Grizzly”. She was part of other quintessential Seattle archetypes; born at Providence hospital (now Providence/Swedish Cherry Hill), she graduated from the University of Washington, with a B.A. in English Literature, worked at Boeing right after graduating, and worked on the Seattle waterfront as a bookkeeper with a fishing company for a few years.

Lee’s work at Boeing involved some classified information on missile sites and may have put her on a list with Russian intelligence. On a sightseeing trip to Russia, we suspect the Russian woman assigned as her guide was a KGB plant. Lee was asked many pointed questions about her work in the U.S. Her “guide” disappeared suddenly, before the end of the trip.

Lee lived in the family home in Queen Anne for most of her life which was purchased by her grandfather, a Seattle Police officer who served during the Prohibition era. She told us many stories about old Seattle, wooden sidewalks in the neighborhood when she was a child, old antique shops she used to peruse, neighbors she remembered who kept chickens in the backyard, parrots in the house, and in one case, an alligator in the bathtub.

She joined the army (the Women’s Auxiliary Corp) in her 20s and served as a Captain. She led a company of new female recruits in the southern United States where she perfected her commanding “captain’s voice” which later let Michael and Kai know when they were about to make a bad decision. Afterwards, while stationed in Germany, she enjoyed many sightseeing trips around Europe with college friends who visited her.

Lee could be reserved and quiet but she spoke her mind and always answered truthfully. A patron of the arts, she attended the Meany World Dance series at the University of Washington for over two decades. If she thought a performance was sub-par or not interesting, she would readily give her opinion to anyone who asked. Those opinions were stated factually and resolutely, but never in a mean-spirited way. She would pair the opinion with a hearty, joyous laugh and she was always open to hearing the opinion of others.

We will miss Lee’s laughter, side-eye glances, and clearly stated opinions. We started to lose her years ago to dementia and could not continue to care for her at home. But we would always see glimpses of her during visits to her residence at Shi’s Adult Family Home in Shoreline. The caretakers there, Sue, Mel, and Maria, were loving, kind, and patient.

Leona has been cremated and her ashes will be spread among the roses in her garden.