Marcia K. (Koenig) Leonard

MARCIA K. LEONARD 1933-2019

Marcia Koenig Leonard, born September 9, 1933, passed away at home, unexpectedly on October 20, 2019 after living 86 adventure filled years,  and has moved on to a new phase of her Spirit’s journey.  

Marcia was born in Little Falls MN, but moved to Santa Rosa CA when she was 7 with her parents Ada (Vaslow) Pisenti and William Keonig and her twin brother, Marcel (Bud) Koenig. In the early 1960’s she relocated to Mansfield CT where she raised a family, attended graduate school, worked in the field of education in various forms, and later to Auburn MA, where she worked as a programmer for the TJX Corporation. Once she retired, she moved back to Connecticut to be closer to family and friends.

She leaves behind her former husband Dr. Robert L. Leonard, Daughter, Allison Leonard Altieri, Son-in-law Jason Altieri, and her adoring grandchildren Eve and Jonas Altieri, her niece Terry Koenig Williams and her husband Don, as well as an eclectic group of friends who she held most dearly in her heart.

Marcia was preceded in death by her parents, her kind step-father Joseph Pisenti, her brother Bud (2016), her sister-in-law Ginny Koenig (2019), as well as her own son, Robert Marcus (Marc) Leonard in 2009.  Although she experienced tremendous losses, her zest for life never wavered. She shared this energy with all she met along the way.

Marcia was passionate about education (for everyone), earning her undergraduate degree in History at UC Berkley and then her Master’s degree in the Arts at the University of Connecticut. 

She absorbed knowledge constantly and she retained an astonishing amount of details about world history, culture, the arts, and social issues and would be happy to impart that knowledge on the spot, and at times, with an overwhelming intensity.

The Arts of all mediums were treasured by her and she ensured her children experienced them from an early age and through their lives. She forged a deep attachment to the marvels of the Smithsonian Institution of which she was proud to have passed on to her loved ones as well as the value of taking in and supporting local arts and culture whenever possible.

 She traveled the world with tour groups, and the Choral groups (the Worcester Chorus and Hartford Chorale) and loved listening to the recordings of their performances at various cathedrals and community stages around the world. She truly loved being a part of those groups. She shared pictures and descriptive storytelling as she recounted trips. One of her favorites was to the Costa Rican rainforest where she traversed the high walkways of the canopy and it remained a part of her.

Recently, her days were frequently spent working on learning new vocal parts, attending meetings or talks about social and racial equality issues, writing or calling state representatives to share her concerns (a long list of social issues) and would gladly join a rally if it could be worked into her schedule. She frequently popped by her daughter’s home to sit and chat, and have a glass of wine. These visits stopped whatever we were doing, but it was treasured time together.

She also found pure joy in the simple pleasures of life, sitting by the ocean, a walk up to Wolf Rock, (not long ago we lost the Nipmuck trail but found walking sticks and chuckled and chatted as we found our way home). She would select and follow a 17 step recipe just to try something new, enjoyed the peace of birdwatching, or stopping at the Willi Food Co-op or farmers market just to see if any interesting items caught her eye, gardening, talking with her grandkids about whatever they were up to, and simply breathing in the air and fully experiencing wherever she was at the moment.

A memorial gathering in her honor will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Society: East where she was a member and met and made several friends. Please join us on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 2:00 PM Location: UUSE 153 Vernon St. West, Manchester, CT 06042

If you are so moved to make a donation in her name, please consider your local National Public Radio station, CPTV, or a Social Justice organization you feel is doing the work. To sign the online memorial guestbook and to read the full obituary please visit https://www.potterfuneralhome.com/

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