Leonora Dean, OCDS
September 30, 1940 – May 18, 2025

With deep love and gratitude for a life well-lived, we announce the passing of Leonora Dean, a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and spiritual guide, who went home to the Lord on May 18, 2025, at the age of 84.

Born in Brooklyn, New York  on September 30, 1940, to Anthony and Maria Elena Mancini, Leonora was the third of six children in a lively and loving Italian-American household. She spent her early years in the vibrant rhythm of the city before her family settled in Baltimore, Maryland—a place that would shape her heart and eventually lead her to her beloved husband, Larry Dean.

Leonora and Larry built a home rooted in faith, laughter, and love. They raised their family in Joppatowne, Maryland, where she was not only a nurturing mother but also a strong, active presence in the community. A devout Catholic, she found joy and purpose in serving others and living her faith with conviction. She was a fierce crusader to end abortion, in the Right to Life movement, lending her voice to the voiceless and her heart to a cause she believed in deeply.

In 1979, the Dean family relocated to Vero Beach, Florida, where Leonora continued to raise her children with grace and wisdom. After the passing of her beloved Larry in 2004—following 43 years of marriage—Leonora turned even more deeply to her faith, finding comfort in the arms of prayer and the embrace of her family.

Her spiritual journey blossomed as she joined the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS). As a Carmelite, she lived a life of contemplative prayer, simplicity, and profound trust in God. Her later years were marked by quiet strength, deep reflection, and a calling to spiritual mentorship. She was a living example of grace and humility, and her guidance left a lasting imprint on those she counseled—especially her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

To know Leonora was to experience a rare depth of warmth, kindness, and inner light. Her legacy is not only in the family she raised, but in the countless lives she touched with her gentle spirit, unwavering faith, and boundless compassion.

She is survived by her devoted brother Lenny (Judy); her loving children David (Kim), Dawn (Daniel), Nancy , Maria (Percy), and Rosemary (Forrest); her grandchildren Casey, Evan, Max, Morgan, Erin, Cailin, Meaghan, April, Anthony, Alexander, Daisy, Rowan, and Reed; and her great-grandchildren Nathan, Devin, Zachary, Sapphire, and Friday.

Though our hearts are heavy, we rejoice in the knowledge that she is reunited with her beloved Larry and resting in the eternal peace of God's presence.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at 10:00 AM at St. Helen Catholic Church, Vero Beach. Interment will follow at Crestlawn Cemetery.

Mass will be live streamed and may be viewed by using the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/live/rCVPHo6ZTO4

Family and friends are invited to gather for visitation on Wednesday, May 28, from 2:00 – 4:00 PM  and 7:00 – 9:00 PM at Cox-Gifford Seawinds Funeral Home, 1950 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL.  During the visitation on Wednesday, at 3:00 PM, the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS) will read the Office of the Dead and the Rosary.

"Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing;
God never changes."
– St. Teresa of Ávila