Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Official Obituary

Leah Camille McCollough, 43, died suddenly, Thursday  January 8, at her home in Bellevue, Washington.  Leah was formerly of Southfield, Michigan, and was a proud graduate of Duke University. She completed her graduate studies in Law and non-profit organizational management at Case  Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH.  

At the time of her  passing, Leah was president of LCM Consulting, a coaching and training  organization.  Leah served on various boards in many capacities, including  past board president of Hopelink; and she was the current board president of the Women’s Funding Alliance of Seattle and an active member of the Seattle Culture Center.  

She is survived by her  parents, Drs. John H. and Carole J. McCollough of Southfield, MI; brothers, John Spencer McCollough, and Douglas  Elliot McCollough, as well as nieces (Krysty Swann, Jacquelyn Dorman, Elsie Swann, Charity McCollough, Rachel McCollough, Alina McCollough, Kendall McCollough), nephews (Malcolm McCollough, Ras McCollough)  and a loving extended family.  

Funeral Services will be held Saturday, January 17, 2009 at Haley Funeral Directors, 24525 Northwestern Hwy, Southfield, MI.  Family Hour is at 10:00 AM.  Funeral Services begin at 11:00 AM.  A repast for family and out of town guests will be served immediately following the service.  Burial will be private.  

A Memorial  Celebration will be held on Saturday January 24, 2009 11am-1pm at Seattle Culture Center, 3438 SE 148th St., Tukwila, WA.  

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Leah C. McCollough Legacy Fund c/o The Women’s Funding Alliance 603 Stewart Street, Suite 207  Seattle, WA 98101.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Doug,

    Many of our friends are on Facebook and might not make it here. I hope it's OK I created a group called "In Loving Memory of Leah C McCullough." My email is hestersullivan at me.com . I can email you a link or you can "friend" me. I'm Hester Old Sullivan.

    Bless you. I will see you this weekend. I'm so sorry that it is under these circumstances. Being far away I'm still very much in denial, she was/will always be a very special person in my life.

    Thank you,
    Hester

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  2. Hi Doug,

    Robin forwarded your request. I've been trying to email you and Mr. Hardy but I cannot get it to go through. Can you please try to send to him or share it. This is what I've been trying to send. My cell phone is 513-313-4124. Ellen and I arrive this afternoon (THursday) at 4.

    ********
    This is off the top of my head. I sent it before with a photo but it wouldn't go through. The photo is the one on her FB Memorial Page of all of us at the Avon Walk finish line. I'm arriving, along with Ellen all the way from Senegal, this afternoon at 4 p.m. We are staying at the Hawthorne Suites under my name. My cell phone number is 513-313-4124. Please feel free to contact me. I'm happy (happy is very much the wrong word) to speak, if I can have some help with the writing (which I'm sure the 4 other Duke friends who are arriving can give). I just went to the funeral of a neighbor and contributions from family and friends were the highlight of the service and we would have gladly stayed all afternoon listening to the wonderful stories. Of course she was 85 not 43.

    peace,
    Hester

    After two days and 39.3 miles of the two day Avon Breast Cancer Walk in Chicago. We are so happy to have the memory of this long walk with Leah. Walking together for two days gives you some great quality time. She stopped walking a little early on the first day and when we got to the campsite, she had set up our tents and organized all our stuff.

    She was all signed up to walk with us in New York in October this year. We will miss her so much, and we will think of her every step of the way as Team Leah treks through the streets of New York City. We will walk in her honor this year. Three of the people who walked with us met her for just those three days and each one, unprompted, told me, "Leah touched my heart." One said of Leah, "My memory of Leah will always be her skipping down the streets of Chicago." Only Leah would skip after 13 miles!

    This is just three days out of last year, and what a positive influence she was on our team. Leah truly knew what it meant to live life to it's fullest. My guess is that she touched someone's heart each and every day.

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  3. She is the one person who never tapped their foot, impatiently waiting
    for the “point” of the story.
    She enjoyed the journey.
    It is all about the journey.
    The details didn’t matter except that they were vital to the complete painting.
    She sought. And she sought.
    And she found in others- giving them what they didn’t know that they sought.
    She listened.
    She truly cared.
    She lived.
    She lived the way everyone wishes they would.
    The way I wish I could.
    She is in my heart and missed on this earth.
    She is Leah.

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  4. I just met Leah this last year in the Bellevue Danskin training group. I just remember her positive attitude and the encouragement she shared with everyone. She always had an encouraging word to share as we were on the trail, trying to take one more step. She will be missed and I am thankful to have crossed paths with her during this lifetime. I pray for comfort and peace for her family and friends during this very difficult time.

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