Leona Ramona BRIGHT

BRIGHT, Leona Ramona
Oct. 5, 1921 to March 17, 2012
She was born in Los Angeles, CA on October 5, 1921, the third child of Oral F. Sr. and Lucile Lazarus. She passed away peacefully the morning of March 17, 2012. Preceded in death by two of her older brothers, Oral Jr. and Phillip, leaves only her younger brother Robert surviving. A graduate of Fremont High School in 1938, she went to work for the Lockheed Aircraft Co. in Burbank as a blueprint reader where she met her future husband.

Married to Lloyd 'Vern' Bright March 20, 1939. She raised six children, Ronald of Scottsdale, AZ, Laurie of Berkeley, CA, Dennis of Woodland, CA, Richard Philbin Bright, Donald and Ramona, all of Sacramento, CA. She was preceded in death by 2 of her sons, Laurie in 2010 and Richard in 1966 and her husband of 61 years in 2000.

The grandmother of 10 and great-grandmother of 13, family was always the center of her life. Although many called her a 'Professional Volunteer', if you asked her what was her occupation, she would proudly reply 'Homemaker'.

In 1971 she was honored by being chosen 'Sacramento Woman of the Year' for her volunteer work in the many clubs and organizations she belonged to, mostly focusing on youth. The founding President of the Juvenile Service Council and a delegate to the White House Council on Youth, she was always looking for a way to help the area's youth have a better life.

In 1984 she was the driving force behind getting The Kiwanis Family House built at the UCD Med Center, where the families of seriously ill children can stay, to be close to their children undergoing treatment. With the help of the Kiwanians, The Bradley Wilson Memorial Fund and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, they built what was a seven bedroom house on the grounds at UCDMC. The facility is now a 32-room complex that services over a thousand families a year and is funded only by donation.

As a Founding Member of Arden Christian Church, a memorial service will be held there (Eastern Blvd and Las Cruces Way) on Wednesday, March 21 at 11:00am. A Visitation will be Tuesday, March 20 from 3:00-7:00pm at Russ Monroe's Funeral Chapel (Winding Way and Sunrise Blvd). Entombment will be at East Lawn Sierra View Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to The Kiwanis Family House or Arden Christian Church.