Lee Ann Westover

Daughter of Charles Standish O’Grady—a dentist and a full bird Colonel in the Army Air Corp (the predecessor to the Air Force). Her mother was Mrs. Charles Standish de Courcy O’Grady, who was also known as Clare Marie Smoot.

Lee Ann Hart de Courcy O’Grady was born on April 20, 1935 in Huntington, West Virginia. Her dad’s nickname for her was “Kitten” and in elementary and middle school they called her “Kit” or “Anne.”

Lee Ann was initially raised in Lancaster, but then transplanted into a new military community with each new assignment. Lee Ann was a military brat and she had a nomadic childhood, often moving thousands of miles across the country. She changed schools all the time, and every time she did so she lost her friend group. Her social skills were refined in adult settings defined by honor, duty, and the military code of conduct. Lee Ann grew up fast under the scrutiny of military families.

She became a big sister with the birth of Richard Standish de Courcy O’Grady who was born in 1942.

The biggest deployment for the O’Grady family was to Germany at the end of World War II, a crossing over the high seas of the Atlantic that took 2 weeks. Clare, Lee Ann, and Rick were met in port by a handsome German pilot by the name of Hans Langer, who became the interpreter for Colonel O’Grady and life-long friend of the family.

Lee Ann was 10 years of age or thereabouts and living in Bayreuth, Germany after the war. The city was divided between the Western and European powers. She and Rick enrolled in school in the American Zone. Rather quickly, however, it was decided that Kitty should be sent off to boarding school in Switzerland. Things were not safe in Germany for a young girl during reconstruction.

Lee Ann attended the Buser Institute for Girls, in Teufen, Switzerland. None of the girls at the school spoke English. Her parents and brother visited about once a month. It was a challenging time for Lee Ann, but she learned to ski, how to speak German and French, and she learned how to be independent and resilient.

In 1951 or 1952, the Colonel and his family were sent back to America. He was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Kitty was enrolled in a private school for girls in El Paso. Due to her European education, Kitty tested up two grade levels and attended high school at the Radford School for Girls in Radford Texas at a very young age.

Upon graduation, she attended the University of Arizona. She was 16 years old. She rushed and became a member of Alpha Phi Sorority. She met the love of her life at a fraternity party hosted by the Sigma Nus. Harry Westover was the President of Sigma Nu and had his eyes on her the moment she came to the beer bust with another fraternity brother who was her date. That young man never had a chance and Harry ended up escorting her safely home that evening.

He called her “Kitty,” an adorable tribute to the relationship she had with her dad.

Harry was three and a half years older than Kitty and the two of them were inseparable. The Colonel and his wife were probably not all that happy with the situation, especially when young Harry proposed marriage in their daughter’s junior year of college—as this could easily have derailed her college goals.

They married on September 1, 1954, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino. The wedding reception was at the Officer’s Club of Norton Air Force Base, a fitting reception for the daughter of an Air Force Colonel.

Harry attended UCLA Law School and they lived in a small apartment in Westwood. Lee Ann transferred from Arizona to UCLA and graduated one year later with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Looking back, Harry and Kitty have both stated many times over the years that this was the happiest time of their lives.

Kitty worked at a media relations firm in Los Angeles and then was a paralegal at a law firm in a brand new business development known as Fashion Island. They bought their first home in Dover shores in Newport Beach. It was a ranch style home at the end of the cul-de-sac. This was the first time that Kitty was able to settle down and call the place where she lived “home”. She loved being a mom and raising her children without having to pick up and move thousands of miles every few years.

Kitty and Harry had 3 children, Britten Clay Westover born on Valentine’s day 1959 who predeceased her; Barrett Equen Westover born on August 16, 1964 and Alyssa Claire Westover born April 21, 1966.

Kitty was an excellent cook and loved to entertain. She enjoyed gardening, sewing, painting, and raising the children. She adored shopping and would go on a binge whenever Harry went fishing without her. She was the Gallery Chairman for the Newport Harbor Service League and hosted several art shows after she was newly married. She was also on the Board of Directors for Mardan School in Costa Mesa, an alternative school for students with social, emotional, or behavioral challenges.

Harry loved fishing and Kitty loved Harry, so she took to the water. The two of them owned several boats and became members of multiple yacht clubs over the years. The family loved to fish and we spent almost every summer of our childhood years on a mooring in Emerald Bay or Cherry Cove in Catalina. Kitty and Harry enjoyed the best friendships in the world and took many trips to Baja with friends to compete in fishing tournaments.

When Harry’s parents died in 1983, he inherited a vacant parcel on the bluffs of Corona del Mar. Dorothy Westover inherited the home next door known as “High Bluff.” The lot was structurally challenged as it sloped steeply down a hill and gave the appearance that there was nowhere to build. They decided to build their dream home and Kitty had the grand idea to design it after one of their favorite hotels in Cabo San Lucas: La Palmilla. She and Harry attended a wedding with friends, one of whom would be their future architect on the project. When asked about their plans to build, Kitty took out a pen and drew her design on a wedding napkin and handed it to Dick Cooling. This became the original blueprint for the house project.

Harry proposed a budget. Kitty then hired the architect (from the wedding), a structural engineer, the general contractor, a designer, and managed this project through to completion—and of course—never consulted Harry’s Budget.

Late in life, Kitty raised dogs and had a desire to compete in Westminster. She selected the pick of the litter traced to the finest sire of the breed known as Bouvier des Flanders. She hired a trainer for Abbey and began the competitive dog circuit winning ribbons and prizes here, in Nevada and New Mexico. Soon thereafter, she decided to become a breeder. She and Harry whelped thirteen pups in the master bedroom of their designer home in Corona del Mar. One of the puppies from this litter competed in Westminster, New York and came home with a Championship Title. Kitty and Harry describe this adventure as the trip of a lifetime.

Kitty became “Nana” to four beautiful granddaughters. Cheryl Marie Bond, Ashley Elizabeth Hart Bond, Victoria Leann Westover, and Jacquelyn Rose Bond. She adored them all very much and loved watching them grow up.

Later in life, things got more difficult for Kitty as she had dementia. The last many years were hard for her. Yet she had a great appreciation for life, she lit up when people were around her, she absolutely adored Harry, loved to wear her jewelry and have her hair done, and enjoyed the company of all who visited. She especially enjoyed Stephanie, her care companion of 10 years who was her guardian angel.

Lee Ann peacefully died on September 5, 2022 in Orange, California.

Please join us in celebrating her life on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at 10:00 am at the Chapel located inside Pacific View Memorial Park, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar.

Late in life, Kitty raised dogs and had a desire to compete in Westminster. She selected the pick of the litter traced to the finest sire of the breed known as Bouvier’s. She hired a trainer for Abbey and began the competitive dog circuit winning ribbons and prizes here, in Nevada and New Mexico. Soon thereafter, she decided to become a breeder. She and Harry whelped thirteen pups in the master bedroom of their designer home in Corona del Mar. One of the puppies from this litter competed in Westminster, New York and came home with a Championship Title. Kitty and Harry describe this adventure as the trip of a lifetime.

Kitty became “Nana” to four beautiful granddaughters. Cheryl Marie Bond, Ashley Elizabeth Hart Bond, Victoria Lee Ann Westover, and Jacquelyn Rose Bond. She adored them all very much and loved watching them grow up.

Later in life, things got more difficult for Kitty as she had dementia. The last many years were hard for her. Yet she had a great appreciation for life, she lit up when people were around her, she absolutely adored Harry, loved to wear her jewelry and have her hair done, and enjoyed the company of all who visited. She especially enjoyed Stephanie, her care companion of 10 years who was her guardian angel.

Leann peacefully died on September 5, 2022 in Orange, California.

Please join us in celebrating her life on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at 10:00 am at the Chapel located inside Pacific View Memorial Park, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar. Reception to follow at the Balboa Yacht Club.