Leisa Crane, 55, of New York City and Biddeford Pool, passed away on August 11. She was born in Akron, Ohio on January 4, 1960 as Lisa Beth Suhayda, the younger (and cuter) of Joan and Bernie Suhayda’s two children. She added the exotic 'e' to her name in grade school as a tribute to her grandmothers and became Leisa.
From a very early age Leisa loved to read and visit libraries. At one point she read every book in the kids' section of the local branch, and the librarian gave her special permission to borrow books from the young adult section upstairs. She would grow up to get her Masters in Library Science from Columbia and work in libraries at Wheaton (her alma mater), Dartmouth, Harvard, Columbia, the Princeton Club of NY and the Biddeford Pool Community Club, where she ran the summer reading program for more than a decade, introducing dozens of kids to the joy of books.
Leisa was a writer, too. In high school she wrote an essay about her Greek Orthodox faith that won first place in the entire country, the prize for which was a trip to the Ionian Village program in Greece. In college one of her short stories was published in an anthology by Ishmael Reed, and she later worked as a writer/researcher on several books by Pat Ross. She was a keen student of the English language, which came in handy when she played Words with Friends on her iPad, keeping 30 games going at once with pals across many time zones.
It was in Mr. Smith's English class as a senior in high school that Leisa spied the love of her life, Charlie Crane. She asked him out on their first date (a movie and ice cream on his 18th birthday), and the rest is history. They got married five years later and moved to Manhattan, where they lived for 32 years. They spent their honeymoon in Maine and went back every summer, eventually buying and renovating a house in Biddeford Pool. It was at the house that Leisa developed her green thumb, surrounding the exterior with beautiful gardens. Leisa enjoyed interior design as well, and their homes reflected her sunny and colorful personality.
Leisa and Charlie loved to travel. They went around the world twice and touched many of the 50 states, often visiting friends and family along the way. Their favorite destination was the Big Island of Hawaii, where Leisa could watch the whales for hours and bask in the spirit of aloha. They named their cat Popoki, the Hawaiian word for cat. Leisa adored all of her kitties: Amos, Eroica, Norman, Cheever and Buster, and most recently Koukla. She had a special fondness for her friends' cats and dogs as well.
She also adored her fabulous godchildren, Courtney Wood, Emma Jarnagin, Christopher Marshall and Forrest Troxell, and her beautiful nieces Stella and Joanna Suhayda and their handsome brother Gregory. There are many other children who were special to her, and she got a kick out of sending them cards and presents. She stayed close to many members of her (and Charlie's) extended family, especially her Cavoulas cousins. And while her brother John was her only biological sibling, she counted many as her soul sisters, including the Birthday Girls, the Sweet Nellies, the Wheaties and more.
From all of us whose lives you touched, we miss you desperately. You are and will forever be a tulip.
Visiting hours will be from 4:00 to 7:00 on Friday, August 14 at Cote Funeral Home (87 James Street, Saco ME 04072). The Trisagion prayer service will take place at 4:30. A funeral service will be held at 11:00am Saturday, August 15 at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Saco, with burial at St. Demetrios Cemetery in Biddeford immediately after.
From a very early age Leisa loved to read and visit libraries. At one point she read every book in the kids' section of the local branch, and the librarian gave her special permission to borrow books from the young adult section upstairs. She would grow up to get her Masters in Library Science from Columbia and work in libraries at Wheaton (her alma mater), Dartmouth, Harvard, Columbia, the Princeton Club of NY and the Biddeford Pool Community Club, where she ran the summer reading program for more than a decade, introducing dozens of kids to the joy of books.
Leisa was a writer, too. In high school she wrote an essay about her Greek Orthodox faith that won first place in the entire country, the prize for which was a trip to the Ionian Village program in Greece. In college one of her short stories was published in an anthology by Ishmael Reed, and she later worked as a writer/researcher on several books by Pat Ross. She was a keen student of the English language, which came in handy when she played Words with Friends on her iPad, keeping 30 games going at once with pals across many time zones.
It was in Mr. Smith's English class as a senior in high school that Leisa spied the love of her life, Charlie Crane. She asked him out on their first date (a movie and ice cream on his 18th birthday), and the rest is history. They got married five years later and moved to Manhattan, where they lived for 32 years. They spent their honeymoon in Maine and went back every summer, eventually buying and renovating a house in Biddeford Pool. It was at the house that Leisa developed her green thumb, surrounding the exterior with beautiful gardens. Leisa enjoyed interior design as well, and their homes reflected her sunny and colorful personality.
Leisa and Charlie loved to travel. They went around the world twice and touched many of the 50 states, often visiting friends and family along the way. Their favorite destination was the Big Island of Hawaii, where Leisa could watch the whales for hours and bask in the spirit of aloha. They named their cat Popoki, the Hawaiian word for cat. Leisa adored all of her kitties: Amos, Eroica, Norman, Cheever and Buster, and most recently Koukla. She had a special fondness for her friends' cats and dogs as well.
She also adored her fabulous godchildren, Courtney Wood, Emma Jarnagin, Christopher Marshall and Forrest Troxell, and her beautiful nieces Stella and Joanna Suhayda and their handsome brother Gregory. There are many other children who were special to her, and she got a kick out of sending them cards and presents. She stayed close to many members of her (and Charlie's) extended family, especially her Cavoulas cousins. And while her brother John was her only biological sibling, she counted many as her soul sisters, including the Birthday Girls, the Sweet Nellies, the Wheaties and more.
From all of us whose lives you touched, we miss you desperately. You are and will forever be a tulip.
Visiting hours will be from 4:00 to 7:00 on Friday, August 14 at Cote Funeral Home (87 James Street, Saco ME 04072). The Trisagion prayer service will take place at 4:30. A funeral service will be held at 11:00am Saturday, August 15 at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Saco, with burial at St. Demetrios Cemetery in Biddeford immediately after.
Leisa Crane, 55, of New York City and Biddeford Pool, passed away on August 11. She was born in Akron, Ohio on January 4, 1960 as Lisa Beth Suhayda, the younger (and cuter) of Joan and Bernie Suhayda’s two children. She added the exotic 'e' to her name in grade school as a tribute to her grandmothers and became Leisa.
From a very early age Leisa loved to read and visit libraries. At one point she read every book in the kids' section of the local branch, and the librarian gave her special permission to borrow books from the young adult section upstairs. She would grow up to get her Masters in Library Science from Columbia and work in libraries at Wheaton (her alma mater), Dartmouth, Harvard, Columbia, the Princeton Club of NY and the Biddeford Pool Community Club, where she ran the summer reading program for more than a decade, introducing dozens of kids to the joy of books.
Leisa was a writer, too. In high school she wrote an essay about her Greek Orthodox faith that won first place in the entire country, the prize for which was a trip to the Ionian Village program in Greece. In college one of her short stories was published in an anthology by Ishmael Reed, and she later worked as a writer/researcher on several books by Pat Ross. She was a keen student of the English language, which came in handy when she played Words with Friends on her iPad, keeping 30 games going at once with pals across many time zones.
It was in Mr. Smith's English class as a senior in high school that Leisa spied the love of her life, Charlie Crane. She asked him out on their first date (a movie and ice cream on his 18th birthday), and the rest is history. They got married five years later and moved to Manhattan, where they lived for 32 years. They spent their honeymoon in Maine and went back every summer, eventually buying and renovating a house in Biddeford Pool. It was at the house that Leisa developed her green thumb, surrounding the exterior with beautiful gardens. Leisa enjoyed interior design as well, and their homes reflected her sunny and colorful personality.
Leisa and Charlie loved to travel. They went around the world twice and touched many of the 50 states, often visiting friends and family along the way. Their favorite destination was the Big Island of Hawaii, where Leisa could watch the whales for hours and bask in the spirit of aloha. They named their cat Popoki, the Hawaiian word for cat. Leisa adored all of her kitties: Amos, Eroica, Norman, Cheever and Buster, and most recently Koukla. She had a special fondness for her friends' cats and dogs as well.
She also adored her fabulous godchildren, Courtney Wood, Emma Jarnagin, Christopher Marshall and Forrest Troxell, and her beautiful nieces Stella and Joanna Suhayda and their handsome brother Gregory. There are many other children who were special to her, and she got a kick out of sending them cards and presents. She stayed close to many members of her (and Charlie's) extended family, especially her Cavoulas cousins. And while her brother John was her only biological sibling, she counted many as her soul sisters, including the Birthday Girls, the Sweet Nellies, the Wheaties and more.
From all of us whose lives you touched, we miss you desperately. You are and will forever be a tulip.
Visiting hours will be from 4:00 to 7:00 on Friday, August 14 at Cote Funeral Home (87 James Street, Saco ME 04072). The Trisagion prayer service will take place at 4:30. A funeral service will be held at 11:00am Saturday, August 15 at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Saco, with burial at St. Demetrios Cemetery in Biddeford immediately after.
From a very early age Leisa loved to read and visit libraries. At one point she read every book in the kids' section of the local branch, and the librarian gave her special permission to borrow books from the young adult section upstairs. She would grow up to get her Masters in Library Science from Columbia and work in libraries at Wheaton (her alma mater), Dartmouth, Harvard, Columbia, the Princeton Club of NY and the Biddeford Pool Community Club, where she ran the summer reading program for more than a decade, introducing dozens of kids to the joy of books.
Leisa was a writer, too. In high school she wrote an essay about her Greek Orthodox faith that won first place in the entire country, the prize for which was a trip to the Ionian Village program in Greece. In college one of her short stories was published in an anthology by Ishmael Reed, and she later worked as a writer/researcher on several books by Pat Ross. She was a keen student of the English language, which came in handy when she played Words with Friends on her iPad, keeping 30 games going at once with pals across many time zones.
It was in Mr. Smith's English class as a senior in high school that Leisa spied the love of her life, Charlie Crane. She asked him out on their first date (a movie and ice cream on his 18th birthday), and the rest is history. They got married five years later and moved to Manhattan, where they lived for 32 years. They spent their honeymoon in Maine and went back every summer, eventually buying and renovating a house in Biddeford Pool. It was at the house that Leisa developed her green thumb, surrounding the exterior with beautiful gardens. Leisa enjoyed interior design as well, and their homes reflected her sunny and colorful personality.
Leisa and Charlie loved to travel. They went around the world twice and touched many of the 50 states, often visiting friends and family along the way. Their favorite destination was the Big Island of Hawaii, where Leisa could watch the whales for hours and bask in the spirit of aloha. They named their cat Popoki, the Hawaiian word for cat. Leisa adored all of her kitties: Amos, Eroica, Norman, Cheever and Buster, and most recently Koukla. She had a special fondness for her friends' cats and dogs as well.
She also adored her fabulous godchildren, Courtney Wood, Emma Jarnagin, Christopher Marshall and Forrest Troxell, and her beautiful nieces Stella and Joanna Suhayda and their handsome brother Gregory. There are many other children who were special to her, and she got a kick out of sending them cards and presents. She stayed close to many members of her (and Charlie's) extended family, especially her Cavoulas cousins. And while her brother John was her only biological sibling, she counted many as her soul sisters, including the Birthday Girls, the Sweet Nellies, the Wheaties and more.
From all of us whose lives you touched, we miss you desperately. You are and will forever be a tulip.
Visiting hours will be from 4:00 to 7:00 on Friday, August 14 at Cote Funeral Home (87 James Street, Saco ME 04072). The Trisagion prayer service will take place at 4:30. A funeral service will be held at 11:00am Saturday, August 15 at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Saco, with burial at St. Demetrios Cemetery in Biddeford immediately after.
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