Clara Puza Leiher

Leiher, Clara Puza, 103 of Beavercreek, Ohio, formerly of 1510 Wabash Street, Shamokin, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on, Jan. 9, 2024, surrounded by family, at her son's home in Beavercreek, OH.

She was born on April 29, 1920, in Shamokin, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, daughter of the late Francis (Frank) Anthony Puza and Mary Andrejczak Puza.

Clara attended Springfield Middle School and was a 1938 Graduate of Coal Township High School, Shamokin, Pennsylvania.

On Jan. 10, 1959, she married William Michael Leiher of Arlington, Virginia, in the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, Washington, D.C. They were married for 10 years before his passing on May 11, 1969.

In her earlier years she worked in the Pentagon for many years including during WWII, and later in a real estate firm, as a secretary, in Tucson, Arizona, where they moved in the late 1960’s. She supported her son as a single homemaker and never remarried.

Clara was a member of The Church of the Ascension, in Kettering, OH and attended mass well into her late nineties. She was an avid volunteer late in life at senior centers and at her assisted living facility.

She spent a dozen years residing at Brookdale Kettering Senior Living Solutions, near the home of her son, in Beavercreek, Ohio. There, she enjoyed the company of a new set of friends and a wonderful support staff. After COVID-19 struck the nursing homes, in October 2020, she moved in with her son, Barry, and his wife Loretta.

Surviving is her son, Barry (Loretta) Leiher, of Beavercreek, Ohio; and grandchildren Cody Leiher and Sydney (Yasser Bouchmama) Leiher.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by four brothers: Frank, Albin, Jerome and Edward, and her sister, Rose Berent. She was the last surviving member of her childhood family.

The family is having private funeral services. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a charity of your choice in her name. Tobias Funeral Home, 3970 Dayton-Xenia Rd, Beavercreek, Ohio, is assisting the family with arrangements. Interment will be at East Lawn Palms Cemetery, Tucson, Arizona, next to her husband. Additionally, thank you to VITAS Healthcare for hospice support. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at Legacy.com or tobiasfuneralhome.com. (Photo from 1969).

Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there; I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sun on ripened grain I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning's hush I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there; I did not die.

—By Mary Elizabeth Frye