Deborah Lesher McNamara

Deborah Lesher McNamara peacefully passed away on August 3, 2020 at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor with her dear friend Mag Tait holding her hand and with Deborah’s daughter Heidi present virtually via cell phone. Deborah was born with her twin sister Sarah on September 11, 1949 to Edgar and Margaret Lesher, the second pair of four sets of twins born to them between 1948 and 1955. Deborah was married to Leo McNamara, University of Michigan Professor Emeritus of English Language, Literature and Irish History, for 32 years, from 1980 until Leo’s death in 2012. Leo and Deborah lived in Hamburg Township, MI where Deborah was primarily a homemaker and mother with a special gift for interior design and baking brownies and lemon squares. She was a keen observer of human behavior, an early adopter of reality television, an avid reader and a keen fan of true crime mysteries. She participated in Ann Arbor Civic Theatre with Leo and traveled extensively with him and their daughters, several times to Ireland. She was the most droll and captivating of story-tellers, especially about those Irish adventures, and was irrepressible in her love for her children and grand-children. She was fierce and funny and unforgettable. Deborah is survived by her children, Lori Orndorf Baradihi of Howell MI; Heidi Bonetti of Richardson TX; Christopher Tolonen (Stephanie) of Renton WA; Elizabeth Toska (Zamir) of Dublin Ireland; and Emily McNamara of Detroit MI, and by her grandchildren Maya, Nicholas, Eavan, Polly, Lucy, Aaron and Noah. Additionally, Deborah is survived by siblings Ted (Chiang Mai Thailand), Karen (Berkeley CA), Nancy (Ft Worth TX), twin sister Sarah (Dallas TX), Megan (Ann Arbor), Daniel (San Francisco CA) and Valerie (Lansing MI) and a multitude of nieces and nephews. Deborah is also survived by her sister of the heart, Mag Tait, who provided inestimable love, comfort and support to Deborah during these last years of physical debility, and family friend Susan Morris. In addition to her husband Leo, Deborah was pre-deceased by her parents, Valerie’s twin Gretchen and brother Roger. The family is deeply grateful to the staff at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for the compassionate care they provided during Deborah’s last days, and to everyone at The Villa at Parkridge in Ypsilanti, Deborah’s home since 2015. Due to Covid-19, memorial services will be postponed.

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