Leonie Dorothy Boehmer

LEONIE DOROTHY BOEHMER

Leonie Dorothy (Dorothea) Boehmer ( Böhmer ), born 1 November 1933 in Hannover, West Germany, passed away 8 June 2018 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Leonie fought a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease.  She is survived by her brother Waldemar (Waltraud), and sisters Brigitte (Dieter) and Renate, and children Monica (Steve) and Eric (Yvonne). She is also survived by grandchildren, nieces and nephews; Rachel, Erica, Erin, Petra, Mathias, Thomas, Johanna, Christoph, Martin, Miriam, Brent, Denise, Nina and Andreas, along with their families

Leonie’s home in 1933 was a 2 bedroom apartment, and rented parcel of land from the city of Hannover on which there were many fruit trees, vegetables and an area for relaxation.  Leonie’s parents were Friedrich Böhmer and Frieda Josefine Karla Böhmer, nie Pfister.  Leonie’s childhood was spent in pre-, during, and post-World War II in Germany.  

Money was tight in those days, her father was a tailor and made all the jackets, pants, coats, and suits for the family.  This skill was inherited by Leonie.  During the post war years she would help her father make house shoes from remnants that he brought home from work.  These shoes would then be taken out and exchanged for bread, butter, eggs, and milk from the farmers.  On Friday and Saturday mornings she would stand in line at different butcher shops for a gallon of meat broth or meat.

Following the war a close family friend offered to send one of the children to the US for a year.  As Leonie was the oldest she was talked into going following graduation from high school and a year of business school.  In 1952 she sailed to the USA, and in November of 1952 she arrived in Albuquerque and lived with Alice Hereld and Otto Cahn, her sponsors.

She was accepted into St. Josephs College and majored in Math and minored in Biology.  Receiving her Bachelor of Science June 3, 1958

Music was one of Leonie’s passions.  She grew up with classical music in the house, as all the children played musical instruments, hers the violin.  She played with the Albuquerque Civic Symphony for 5 years, starting in 1956.  She loved many types of music including opera, classical, musicals, and had an appreciation for some more contemporary music.

In addition to her music, she was an avid seamstress, her closets filled with custom made clothes and suits.  She also loved to knit, crochet, needle point, photography scrapbooking and many other less demanding crafts.  Her needle points and crocheted bedspread won ribbons at the New Mexico State Fair.

Following one year of teaching mathematics, she became a mathematician at the Weapons Laboratory on Kirtland Air Force Base.  At a time when there was a dirth of women in science and technology fields she was writing computer programs for the Weapons lab.  The final 12 years of her tenure with the Weapons Lab she was administrating programs and working with contractors as the senior project officer dealing with the response of aerospace weapons systems to EMP, tracking all technical management reviews for the entire applied physics division. She retired from the Weapons Lab in 1991, after a 31 year Civil Service career.

In 1983 she was certified as an Independent Search Consultant and assisted German –born adoptees find their birth families.  She became president of the local search and support group Operation Identity, and remained in that position for 13 years.  She was also a trustee and board member of the International Soundex Reunion Registry in Carson City, NV and of Choices Adoption Services in Albuquerque.  During her tenure she reunited over 1100 families, and published a search book to help locate people in Germany.

She was also a world traveler, she spent her time on experiences, traveling all over Europe including Russia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Poland, and of course Germany,  often traveling with her friend Margit and Elder Hostel. 

Leonie always provided opportunities for her children to experience many things in the world to include: camping, fishing, and travel abroad.  She gave us opportunities to develop and pursue our own passions to include music, dance, and sports.  She taught me to sew, knit, and crochet, which were her passions, and are skills I still use to this day.  Leonie's life was full - full of fun, new experiences, and adventure which inspires all of us to emulate her.

I have immense gratitude for all of those whose presence was seen and felt by Leonie as she was challenged physically during this past year.  Including her amazing friend Pat and daughters Angelica and Kathy.  Kathy also helped us navigate the wonderful world of hospitals.  Her caregivers, Elaine and Melinda, without whose help, kindness and compassion, I would not have been able to provide the stability, safety, and care she so deserved, and also to Todd, the On-Point Coordinator, who listened on many occasions and managed to make adjustments at the drop of a hat. And Sara at Sandia View whose diligence, and passion for quality care allowed us to become fast friends.  My sincere thanks for easing the transition and helping Leonie continue to be the most amazing, kind, and courageous woman.

I also want to thank Dr. Jill Marjama Lyons - the only Parkinson's specialist in town.  I am happy to call her a friend,  Her knowledge and care helped  Leonie and myself balance he complexities associated with the physical and emotional side of  her disease. My cousin Marcia I am so blessed, assisted me with her professional skill and knowledge with the ins and out of her team.  I called her frequently as my Mom and I navigated the ups and downs of her journey. She was there on so many occasions over the past 6 months, didn't matter when or where. Also my amazing office team especially Janice, Monica, Kim and Geo, who had my back. They made adjustments frequently to assist me and made sure that we could always provide the outstanding care and service to our patients on a daily basis. 

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to either the New Mexico Philharmonic Symphony or Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.  Leonie’s life celebration will be on 30 June, 5  pm at 11525 San Francisco Rd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87122.