After a critical decline in health, Stephanie Erin Leonard passed away peacefully at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home in the early hours of Nov. 26. Her parents, Candyce and Bill Leonard, were at her bedside.
Stephanie was born in Southborough, Mass., on April 22, 1975, with a rare genetic mutation that was identified in 2025 as a result of important advances in genetic research. Her unwavering spirit kept her going through the toughest challenges, even as she excelled in a passion for life, social and communication skills, and mental fortitude. The strength of character and determination she brought to her life every day was inspiring.
After enjoying four years in a preschool setting, Stephanie attended public school for people with special needs until the age of 21, first at Binet School in Louisville, Ky., then at Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Ala. Upon moving to Winston-Salem, N.C. when her parents joined the faculty at Wake Forest University, Stephanie became an avid Deacon fan, attending football and basketball games.
Stephanie Leonard
For 10 years she participated in a day program at Forsyth Industrial Systems, then spent another decade in a day program at Centenary United Methodist Church. She traveled the world with her parents. That included climbing a pyramid in Teotihuacan, Mexico, riding the Tube in London, and living a year in Fukuoka, Japan. She visited Spain, Switzerland, Amsterdam, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Bangkok, Canada, France, and Great Britain. She loved the museums, historical sites and making new friends along the way.
Among her favorite movies were Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Back to the Future, whose dialogue she knew from memory and whose stories gave her a great sense of contentment and harmony. A devoted follower of the TV series Friends, she could quote the dialogue before it was even spoken and enjoyed watching the stories unfold again and again.
Stephanie cherished attending First Baptist Church, Highland Avenue, where she found a community that loved and welcomed her into their hearts. Her fellow church members grew to be part of her extended family and for several years she was an official “welcomer” for the Sunday morning services.
In addition to her church family, many other friends beginning from decades past, both nearby and miles away, embraced her with their grace, love and kindness, regularly sending her cards that made her feel celebrated and accepted. As she recently told one friend: “I know that I am loved.”
Music was a longstanding part of her life. She knew by heart many hymns from church even as she did the popular songs by artists of her parents’ generation such as Simon and Garfunkel, Reba McEntire, Cat Stevens, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, James Taylor, and many more who were fun to sing along with when she heard them.
Her passion this year was a daily fare of pancakes from McDonald’s followed by a serving of tiramisu for dessert. Stephanie had a remarkable capacity for joy, which she brought to those who knew her. We deeply grieve her absence and profoundly loved her life and the dimension she added to our own. She is survived by cousins, aunts and uncles throughout the country.
A funeral service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, at First Baptist Church, 700 Highland Avenue, Winston-Salem, N.C.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts in Stephanie’s name be sent to the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University or First Baptist Church, Highland Avenue.