basque heritage worldwide
12/21/2017 - Vancouver, BC, Canada
O'Mara, Leonora (nee Basterrechea)
January 31, 1920 - December 21, 2017
Predeceased by her husband Leo Xavier O'Mara in 2009, Leonora, age 97, passed away quietly with family at her side.
She is survived by three generations of nieces and nephews.
Leonora was the youngest of five: Joe, Peter, Margaret and Laura. She and her siblings were first generation Canadians as both her parents, José Basterrechea and Apalonia Berasategi, were from the Basque Provinces of Spain.
Leonora and siblings grew up in Port Alberni where her father was involved in the fishing industry with B. Gregory & Co.
During W.W.II Leonora joined the RCAF, spending her time in eastern Canada painting airplanes and packing parachutes, as well as other wartime duties.
Leonora and Leo married in 1948 and settled in Vancouver for the balance of their lives together.
A very special Thank You! to the staff at Veterans Memorial Lodge at Broadmead for their wonderful care of Leonora.
By Leonora's request, there was no funeral.
(published in Victoria Times Colonist, Legacy.com from Mar. 17 to Mar. 18, 2018)
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