Leah Jean Robinson Obituary (1990

While under the influence of medication in the hospital this year, Leah Jean Robinson expressed an interest in writing a book someday. She matter-of-factly told us that she would write about herself “because I’m awesome.” She never got to write that book, but she did have a point. Leah was awesome. She was born on March 18, 1990 in Provo, Utah with her mother’s beautiful green eyes and her dad’s hairline (thankfully that hair grew in eventually). From the very beginning she was eager, sassy, and full of sunshine. As the youngest of six kids—five girls and a boy—she was doted on and always loved having lots of people around her. Leah made friends easily and early in life, and many of those childhood friends were still key people in her life to the end. She was a born leader and only had to play B-characters when chasing her older siblings around as a kid. Always clever and precocious, Leah excelled in academics. She maintained great grades and a healthy social life throughout her years at Westridge Elementary School, Dixon Jr. High, and Provo High School. Along the way she discovered the arts and fell completely in love with literature, music, and theater. She had an incredible soprano voice that always left you with goosebumps and a remarkable talent for the piano. She loved theater and participated in several high school plays. She graduated from Provo High School in 2008. After high school Leah attended Brigham Young University, where her warmth, friendliness, and complete obsession with books made her a perfect match for the first love of her working life, the children’s books section of the BYU bookstore. She became a guru of children’s and juvenile fiction. Leah also spent an incredible semester abroad in England, where she waxed poetic on the moors. She followed the official semester with a trip around Europe and remained enamored with the continent for the rest of her life. She was able to return once more in 2018 and the love affair continued. Leah took a break from college to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Richmond, Virginia from 2013-2015. She adored her time in Virginia serving the Lord and bringing much-loved souls to the good news of the gospel. Her absolute love for and faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ was always palpable and the cornerstone on which she built everything in her life. Leah graduated from BYU in 2015, majoring in English. Her first professional job was as an editor in San Francisco, a city which she quickly fell in love with. She lived and worked there for a year before coming back home to Provo. Here she came into her calling in life as a school librarian for Timpanogos Elementary school. She lived for this job and the kids she taught. Her greatest joy came when she could help to flip the switch for a child and find them a book that got them hooked on reading. She spent hours and hours outside of school making the library a happy, safe, and loved environment for her students. Leah was diagnosed with a brain tumor in January of 2019 and left us to go home to her Savior on November 30, 2019. We are confident that her adored father, Stephen, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and beloved friends were all there to welcome her home. We will desperately miss her sunny personality, sharp wit, unwavering faith, her quick and infectious laugh, loyal, sincere friendship, her voice belting out musicals, listening ear, squeezy hugs, her nose in a book, and a million other little things about her that all added up to a truly incredible and lovely person. Leah is survived by her mother, Janet; brother, Michael (Heidi); sisters, Sarah (Chris) Eddy, Rebekah (Brian) Thomas, Emily (Ryan) Pattee, and Mary (Paul) Lamas; 18 nieces and nephews who adored their Auntie, who always had time to read or recommend books or take them on an adventure. Also many aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends who were truly family to her and whose love and service sustained her through her illness. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, December 6, 2019 at the Grandview 17th Ward Chapel, 1122 Grand Ave., Provo, Utah. Friends may visit with the family at the Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street, Thursday, December 5 from 6-8:00 p.m. and at the church Friday from 9:30-10:30 a.m. prior to services. Interment, Larkin Sunset Gardens, Sandy, Utah. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com. Many thanks to the friends and staff at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, the University of Utah Hospital, and especially Elevation hospice for their amazing love, care, and compassion for Leah and her family throughout her illness. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Huntsman Cancer Institute at https://give.huntsmancancer.org/page/5121/donate/1