Leonor Valencia Obituary

Leonor (Lenie) Urrutia Valencia

Leonor (Lenie) Urrutia Valencia, 72, died on March 2, 2014, at her home in Lee's Summit, Missouri, surrounded by her loving family, after a long illness. Her funeral Mass will take place on March 11, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., at Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, Kansas. A Rosary will be said for her intention at Church of the Ascension on March 10, 2014, at 7:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that Masses be offered in her name or that donations be made in her name to Catholic Charities.

Lenie is survived by her husband, Ernie; her daughter and son-in-law, Lynnette and Dave Rempel; her granddaughter, Kathryn; and three brothers, Mauro Urrutia, Jr., Luis Urrutia, and Antonio Urrutia.

Lenie was born on March 6, 1941, in Manila, Philippines, to Mauro and Pacita Urrutia. She and Ernie married in Manila in 1967. The same year, after earning a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, in Food Science from the University of the Philippines, Lenie was named a Fulbright Scholar, and she and Ernie moved to the United States. Lenie earned a Masters degree in Food Science at the University of Illinois, and she was awarded membership in the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Societies. Lenie began her career in microbiological and pharmaceutical research in Lawrence, Kansas, where she and Ernie became United States citizens and lived for more than 30 years. That career also took Lenie to North Carolina and Kansas City, Missouri, until she retired in 2009. She lived out her remaining days in Lee's Summit, Missouri, dedicated to being a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother to her family.

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