Leonardine Denigris Klett passed away at home on Monday, January 16, 2023 at 10pm after a long battle with illness. She was 79 years old and transitioned surrounded by the family she so cherished. She lived in Denver, NC with her beloved husband of 61 years, Richard, her son, David and his wife Mary, and their children, Sarah and Robert. She is also survived by her son, Chris and his wife Amy and their children Phoebe, Lily, and William and her brother Alfred.
Among her many significant accomplishments was Persnickety, originally an antique store in Great Falls, Virginia, which she built into a chain of 11 furnishing and interior design stores across the country. She also founded Heart & Hand, a wholesale manufacturer of reproduction Early American furnishings and a national mail order catalog.
But by far the accomplishment that was most important to Leni was her role as a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. Throughout her life, those who knew her understood that everything she did was an expression of her love to her family. She will be greatly missed and always in our thoughts.
The family will honor her request not to have a funeral service but will gather the extended family together at a future date to celebrate her life.
She asked that anyone who wished to make a contribution please donate to one of her favorite charities. They were: L’Arche, Heifer International, or Hospice Palliative Care of Lincoln County.
Richard and Family,
May All of You know that Leni is now Your Forever Guardian Angel, looking upon You and the Family with a gleam in Her Eyes, from Heaven Above. When Cardinals appear, she will be nearby. May Leni’s Legacy be in part, of, the Love shared amongst all of You, the Times Well Spent, The Treasured Memories Created through the Years and the Nurturing she she expressed from her heart. All of which, will Fashion Smiles Upon the Faces of All Who knew from Years past through the Day of Her Ascension. Affectionately, June Denigris Hagood