Leonor was born in Santiago de Cuba to Aristides Leblanc and Juana Amelia Perez on March 23, 1943. She married Lazaro O’Relly Molina on July 15, 1960 in Santiago de Cuba. After they married, Leonor and Lazaro moved to Havana, Cuba and began working together as jewelers. They had two daughters, Leonor Victoria O’Relly Leblanc, and Amelia Isabel O’Relly. In 1980, Leonor spearheaded the life changing decision for the family to exile from Cuba on the Mariel Boatlift. The family settled in Tampa, Florida and Leonor and Lazaro would go on to own and successfully operate their own jewelry store for over 28 years, until they retired in 2008.
To her husband, and daughters she was affectionately known as “La Morena” because of her beautiful olive complexion. Leonor was an exceptional mother, spouse, daughter, sister, friend, and businesswoman. She was an industrious and multi-talented woman, who excelled in all of her pursuits, from entrepreneurship to jewelry crafting, to cooking/baking, to successfully running a household and nursing everyone in it. She could even fix the occasional roof leak, broken pipe or remove a random Boa snake from the backyard. She was the quintessential “Leonor of all Trades”.
A phenomenal woman, in every sense of the word.
She will be immensely missed by all those whose life she touched.
Leonor is preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Alfredo and Eduardo Leblanc.
She is survived by her husband Lazaro, two daughters Leonor and Amelia, Amelia’s partner Derek Hopkins, nieces and nephews in Cuba and beloved dog-grandchild, Paco.
Funeral services for Leonor will be held Saturday, April 22, 2023 at Blount & Curry Funeral Home -Carrollwood, 3207 W BEARSS AVE, Tampa, Florida 33618. Services will begin with a visitation/viewing at 10:00 AM, followed by a ceremony at 11:00 AM. The burial service will take place at 1:00 PM at Garden of Memories Funeral Home & Cemetery, 4207 E LAKE AVE, Tampa, Florida 33610.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Leonor's memory may be made to Children's Rehabilitation Institute Teleton USA , (CRIT) https://critusa.org/donar/.
The family wishes to extend their sincere appreciation to the amazing private caregivers who became part of the extended family. Additionally, the family thanks all of the staff at the Advent Health hospitals in Carrollwood, Tampa, and Connerton, as well as the staff at the Rehabilitation and Healthcare of Tampa.
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