I began working for Leonora in January 2014. I called her on the telephone to introduce myself and inquire about working for her as an intern. She immediately put me on speakerphone with herself and colleague Laura Goodman, and invited me to come in that Saturday for a visit. I arrived in her sunny half-basement studio where she set me to work removing adhesive and introduced me to the first client who came in that day as her new intern. (Over tea she insisted that, at some point, she would need to interview me.) I came in nearly every Saturday after that until she became ill in August.
Although I knew Leonora for only a few months, she made quite an impression upon me. It is a great, great tragedy that Leonora's vibrant life was cut so short. However, I think anyone who knew her would agree with me that Leonora woke up each day and did as she wished--and by that I do not mean that she only lived for herself, because that is most certainly not the case. I mean that she had great perspective about her life and her desires, and she did not waste any time waiting for someone else to make her dreams come true. She was not a regretful person, and while she carefully planned for the future, she devoted herself to the present. This is a great lesson, because we all have periods in our lives (years and even decades, in some cases) where we waste away our hours assuming that later we'll have the time to live as we wish, and love as we should. So I will remember Leonora, a brave, beautiful woman who lived a full and generous life.
Leonora's Obituary:
OKARMA-WEAVER, Leonora Leonora Okarma-Weaver was taken from us too soon when she died on Monday, August 25th, 2014, from complications of pancreatitis. She was only 57. She leaves behind her mother, Margaret Okarma; sister, Julia; and brother, Ernest. She was preceded in death by her husband, David Weaver, and her father, Eugene Okarma. Leonora, a well-known art restorer, was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1957, but moved with her family to England when she was 10. Leonora graduated from Bedgebury Park boarding school in Kent and was one of the first girls to graduate in 1979 from the 900 year-old Hereford Cathedral School. When she was in her early 40's, Leonora moved back to Atlanta where she started a successful art restoration business. She will be dearly missed by her family and friends, both in the U.S and England. A celebration of life will be held at Brianwood Clubhouse in Decatur on Saturday, September 27th at 6 pm.
Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Sept. 8, 2014
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