Lea was a pioneer all her life. She was one of the first women to earn the distinction of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1955 from the University of Pennsylvania. Thereafter, Lea held practice in New Town Square, Pa., before working as a food inspector for the Food and Drug Administration.

Lea was intellectually curious, a true scientist who was intent on understanding how things work and why they worked the way they did. Lea also had a flare for fashion and design and had her own design studio for a few years after retiring from the FDA. Lea stayed active, volunteering at the Kennedy Center and for the National Park Service in “retirement.”

She lived in many places, and for nearly a decade, she called the Waterview in Arlington her home, where she made friends to add to others she met in other places along her journey, and where she was always the life of the party.

But Lea’s true love was God and her pets, including Reilly, who was named after her mother (her mother’s maiden name), and PB Wiggs who joined Lea at the Kendal. Both dogs were Petit Basset Griffon Vendéens, a small hound breed, and served as wonderful “meet and greeters” of everyone they would encounter. It was a quality they shared with their owner and mother.

Lea will be missed, but her determination and perseverance as a woman of distinction and accomplishment will live on forever. NG