Bellevue Mom Killed in Seattle Shootings Remembered for Leadership; Service Set

Gloria Koch Leonidas, the Bellevue mom who died Wednesday during a Seattle shooting spree, was remembered locally for her service and leadership.

A memorial service for Leonidas will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 7, 2012 at St. Demetrios Church, 2100 Boyer Avenue East, Seattle, WA, 98112. A gravesite service will be at Bellevue's  following the service.

Leonidas was a mother of two daughters, and an active volunteer at the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences, according to KOMO TV (accessed here through its sister station KATU).

Leonidas also was active with the EvergreenHealth Foundation, which raises money for Evergreen Healthcare in Kirkland, and with the Illuminating Engineering Society of Puget Sound, an association of lighting professionals.

Leonidas' "creative energy and caring spirit helped define the vision of the foundation’s primary fundraiser, the annual Gala," wrote Kae Peterson, the Executive Director of the EvergreenHealth Foundation, in a prepared statement.

"She shared her experience and expertise generously with everyone in the lighting community. Our local chapter is more active and successful due to her tireless support and involvement," the Illuminating Engineering Society of Puget Sound said in their statement.

Seattle police say that neighborhood around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Stawicki had just shot five people at the Cafe Racer coffee shop in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood less than an hour beforehand.

, but he managed to shoot her and steal her Mercedes SUV. He later dumped the SUV in West Seattle, where he shot himself after police confronted him.

EvergreenHealth issued a statement about Leonidas earlier Friday:

EvergreenHealth Remembers Foundation Board Member Gloria Leonidas

"EvergreenHealth lost a visionary leader, incredible fundraiser and dear friend in Gloria Leonidas this week.  We grieve with Gloria’s family and each of the lives she touched through her important work with the EvergreenHealth Foundation and beyond.

Gloria was a distinguished and deeply respected member of the EvergreenHealth Foundation board from 2002 to 2012, where her creative energy and caring spirit helped define the vision of the foundation’s primary fundraiser, the annual Gala.

During her tenure on the Foundation board, Gloria touched many lives and her crowning legacy will be remembered by many as EvergreenHealth’s annual Gala, which is responsible for raising over $7.5 million to support the care of the Eastside community.

On behalf of a community who dearly loved her, including the entire EvergreenHealth organization, we express our deepest sympathies for the loss of Gloria and honor her life’s innumerable contributions which will benefit many generations to come."

Kae Peterson
Executive Director
EvergreenHealth Foundation (formerly Evergreen Healthcare Foundation)

The Illuminating Engineering Society of Puget Sound, of which Leonidas was board member, also issued a statement, which said in part:

Gloria’s long history with the IES organization made her an irreplaceable resource to the rest of our membership. She shared her experience and expertise generously with everyone in the lighting community. Our local chapter is more active and successful due to her tireless support and involvement. She has touched the lives of countless people throughout the lighting professions, and we will all miss her greatly.