Leah Marie Ford, 46, of Port Angeles, died at home with her husband and parents by her side.

Leah was born in Escondido, California on June 24, 1976. Her family moved to Agnew in 1978.

At the age of 3 Leah's kidneys began failing thus starting years of chemotherapy, and later at seven years old dialysis which was administered at their home by her mother until she was eighteen.  Not to let this stop her, and being a very active child Leah began riding her pony "Annie" at a very young age. As she got older she moved on to riding horses and was very competitive in local 4-H where she earned many awards and competed at the state level. She loved her horse "Sugar".  Her medical treatments were many and she missed much of her schooling but she still managed to receive an Associates Degree through running start at Peninsula College when she was 18.

At the age of 18 Leah received a kidney transplant donated by an 8 year old boy who died in a boating accident.  This opened up a world of opportunities for her. Leah worked at a couple of local restaurants before pursuing her real estate license. She then worked as both an assistant and real estate agent at John L. Scott Realty in Port Angeles for a few years.

While working at John L. Scott a fellow real estate agent asked Leah to assist in working at the Lions Club Food Booth during the  1998 Clallam County fair. Leah agreed, and it was here where she met her future husband, Steve, who was also working in the food booth.  Soon, Leah and Steve began dating and then married on December 6, 2000 on Maui, Hawaii in a private ceremony.

Leah began working at Drennan & Ford Funeral home with Steve in 1999.  During this time she completed her schooling and apprenticeship to become a licensed Funeral Director.  She greatly enjoyed working with Steve and his business partner Jim Drennan and played a vital role in the business' operation.

Leah was also a wonderful homemaker, she was an accomplished seamstress, she also made her own wedding dress, she loved clothing and shoes.  She also loved to cook and was very fond of making home made pizza. Leah loved any animal and raised 3 chihuahuas, "Bruce", "Emily" and "Rico" and cat, "Max". She loved and doted on the animals with her whole heart.

As Leah got older, her kidney began failing.  At the age of 28 Leah's sister, Bevil, donated one of her kidneys to Leah.  It was a near perfect match and served Leah very well for the rest of her life.

Leah loved to travel, especially to various Hawaiian islands and this was an annual trip for she and Steve over their anniversary for many years.  Leah also enjoyed visiting her beloved grandparents in Escondido. Leah also loved cars and driving, long walks, yoga and exercising.

Leah was very close to her family, her mother, Susan, was her best friend.  Her niece, Isabelle and nephew, Ian, she considered her own children. Step-dad Tim was an integral part of her life and was always there to help her with anything.

As time progressed Leah's health waned again, but this time it was a lung problem. It was very baffling to all doctors she saw (Leah also never smoked).  After a couple of years of testing and biopsies Leah was diagnosed with pulmonary sarcoidosis, a rare and incurable autoimmune type condition.  This began to limit Leah's walking and exercise but she still tried as much as she could, and she and Steve still traveled. As a few more years passed, Dr. visits and hospitalization became more common as well as several attempted treatments to put the condition in remission.  None really worked for long.  At this point Leah was on oxygen 24 hours a day.  She fought very hard and always had an off color joke and a smile.  As the condition worsened and COVID emerged she became confined to her house, except for Dr. appointments.

Leah and Steve were very close and had a special bond. She had a great loyalty, generosity and thoughtfulness to her family, friends and acquaintances.

On January 27, 2023 Leah passed away in her own bed, held by her husband.

Leah is survived by her husband, Steve, mother, Susan Brothers, step-father, Tim Gillett, brother-in-law, Pat Dennis, brother-in-law, Mike Ford, sister-in-law, Cris Ford, sister-in-law, Diane Schultz, niece, Isabelle Dennis, nephew, Ian Dennis, nephew, Eamon Ford, niece, Isabel Ford, niece, Marie Ford, nephew, Jacob Schultz and nephew, Colton Schultz.  She was preceded in death by her sister Bevil and her grandparents, Phyllis and Bill Brothers.

There will be a private family memorial service.

Memorial Contributions may be made to Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County, 829 E. 8 ^th St., Port Angeles, WA 98362 or to Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, 320 W. Ohio St. Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60654.

Please leave memories of Leah on her guestbook at www.drennanford.com