Leah Temkin

Leah Temkin – January 31, 1937-August 19, 2024

Leah Temkin passed away peacefully on August 19, 2024, surrounded by her loved ones. She is survived by her three children: Jill Temkin, Wendi Temkin (Victor Babbitt), and Gregg Temkin (Catherine Temkin), and seven grandchildren: Josh, Alex, and Riley Temkin, and Talia (Josh Goodman) and Tzvi Nadel, Caitlin (Jay Byrne) and Joy Babbitt, and one great grandchild, McKenna Byrne.

But her legacy far exceeds this family list. She made the lives of everyone she touched a little bit brighter, sweeter, and more meaningful. She started her career as a nurturing care giver at the ripe old age of seven, when she became a surrogate mama to her 4 younger sisters, bringing them with her on outings to the park and helping them feel loved and protected.

She was always looking out for those she loved and those less fortunate than her, including her friends, extended family, and the community at large. She was passionate about standing up against discrimination and protecting abused children, and she devoted her life to making sure there was a better future for all through her tireless work with CALM, ADL, and her many other causes. She loved the arts, and was an incredible juried award-winning artist herself. Her aptitude for creating collages was the perfect metaphor for the way she could bring anything and anyone together to make a more perfect “whole.” But God help anyone who tried to play a game of Scrabble or Mahjong against her!

Leah could arrange a bouquet of flowers or set a dinner table like no one else. Everything she touched became a work of art. And anyone who had set foot in their home knew that she appreciated beauty and whimsy, making life colorful for all.

She was an amazing mother who was full of love, kindness and compassion. And the example she and our incredible father (Robert Temkin) set in their 62+ years of marriage was a legacy of love, acceptance and joy that not only shaped our lives, but redefined what it meant to be grandparents. Through Camp Grandma and Paka (our father) she helped her grandkids forge life-long bonds with each other that changed the course of their lives. You could see her getting down and dirty playing on the floor with the kids, chasing them at the playground, doing art projects, making her special cinnamon raisin French toast, and generally running circles around all of us.

To know her was to love her. Her warmth, care and loving nature extended to her vast network of close friends. If you were sick, she would bring you homemade soup. If you were grieving, she was a warm and steady shoulder, always ready to listen. She loved sharing in both the joys and sorrows of those she cared about. She will be missed by all who had the blessing of knowing her. The world is a better place because she was in it. And we are all better people because of her.

The funeral will be held at McDermott Crockett Funeral Home on August 27, 2024 at 9:30 a.m., located at 2020 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara.

This event will be livestreamed and can be viewed at this link:

https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/f24084525301331

A graveside ceremony will follow at 11:00 a.m. at the Santa Barbara Cemetery located at 901 Channel Drive, Santa Barbara.

A reception for family and friends will be held immediately after that at the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara/ Bronfman Family Jewish Community Center, located at 524 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara.

The family will also be sitting Shiva and welcomes you to join us on Tuesday August 27 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at 3229 Vista Arroyo, Santa Barbara, CA 93109.

If you would like to make a donation in honor of Leah, please consider doing so to one of the following organizations:

CALM (specializing in the prevention and treatment of childhood trauma)

https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/-dU_S8y6gD_dMPjCqZgWRA

The Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara / Bronfman Family Jewish Community Center

https://jewishfederationofgreater.givingfuel.com/annual-campaign-2024

Anti-Defamation League of Santa Barbara

Donate to 2024 ADL In The Memory of Leah Temkin

1528 Chapala Street, Suite 301

Santa Barbara, CA 93101.