Dolores Marie Leinberger

Dee was born to Harvey and Nicole Keefner in St. Paul, MN in 1962. She grew up in Chicago and graduated from Mt. Assisi Academy High School in 1980. Dee earned her A.S. degree in Data Processing from Beaufort Technical College, and the school recognized her for Outstanding Achievement. In 1985 she married Karl Leinberger at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Ridgeland, SC. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Dee and Karl have been married for thirty years. Dee and Karl lived and worked in Beaufort, SC, Daytona Beach, FL, Tampa, FL, St. Louis, MO, Atlanta, GA, and Sumner, WA. Dee was employed as an accountant for multiple companies over 15 years. Then for 5 years she worked as a caregiver for the elderly in their homes. In 2004, Dee and Karl were blessed with their daughter Maria Therese, and Dee become a stay at home mom. Dee filled her life with service to others and was a super volunteer. Among other things, she fed the poor in soup kitchens, cared for animals at the Humane Society, assisted the elderly in their homes, taught Catechism, and spent many hours over the last 6 years assisting the teachers and students at Maria's school, All Saints. When Maria was in 2nd grade Dee was honored with Volunteer of the Year at All Saints. Amazingly, she volunteered even more of her time during the next 4 years. Dee also served as a Right to Life advocate, spending a significant amount of time standing and praying, sometimes in the cold and rain, to support life. And along with Karl, Dee has always been active in her local church. Dee loved being a wife to Karl and a mother to Maria. She made holidays come alive for family and friends, decorating the house and cooking meals with love. This was especially true for Christmas, Easter, and birthdays. She loved walks on warm beaches, sunsets at the ocean, and most of all her Catholic faith. Those who know her knew she had a great sense of humor. Dee loved dogs and other animals, and volunteered at the Humane Society for years. One time she was nearly arrested by the police when she refused to step away from an injured Loon she came across on the beach! Dee passed away peacefully at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, WA on February 9, 2016. During her last 5 days she was surrounded in prayer by her family and friends. She had received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick less than a week before her passing. Now we ask her to pray for us from paradise, and we long for the day when we will join her again. The following scripture verse reminds us of the theme of Dee's life: 1 John 3:18 "Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action." This is the lesson of Dee's life, that love is a verb, that love is an action, and that with our Lord's help, we can all love greatly. Wed, February 17, 2016 at 7:00pm St. Andrew Catholic Church, Sumner, WA Viewing, Rosary, and all night prayer vigil. Thurs, February 18, 2016 at 9:00am St. Andrew Catholic Church, Sumner, WA. Mass of Christian Burial. Reception to follow in building B. Thurs, February 18, 2016 at 1:00pm Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, WA Interment. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to one of Dee's favorite ministries, the St. Andrew Catholic Church "Gabriel Project". You can make a check payable to St. Andrew Catholic Church, write "Gabriel Project" in lower left note section of check, and include a note with the check that states that the donation is for the St. Andrew Catholic Church "Gabriel Project" in remembrance of Dee Leinberger. God bless you for doing this! For Gabriel Project information: http://standrewsumner.org/gabriel-project