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(23 Jan 1975 — 23 Dec 2006)
Leon Claude Covell IV, age 31 years, Omaha. Died unexpectedly December 23, 2006.
Preceded in death by mother, Ellen Blair and grandparents, Beverly and Jane Blair. Survived by wife, Leona Covell; daughter, Aisling Ellen; son Seanan James; father Leon C. Covell III and stepmother, Valerie Dolan; sister, Jane and husband Jason Robin; grandparents M.V. and Bill Parham; numerous friends in the San Diego area, as well as many friends and relatives in Omaha, including his children’s beloved grandmother Maylow Phillips.
Leon, known to friends and family as Lee, grew up in La Costa and attended San Dieguito High School. He enjoyed attending USC football games with his dad. Lee was a graduate of the University of Nebraska with a degree in history and was working toward his master’s degree. Lee excelled in his job as an accountant specialist at InfoUSA.
Memorial Service Saturday, January 13, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. at St. Michaels by the Sea Episcopal Church, 2775 Carlsbad Blvd., Carlsbad, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Arch Halfway House, 604 South 37th Street, Omaha, NE 68105.
—from a San Diego Union-Tribune obituary
June 30, 1998
Dara Welty, 22 classic soprano who hoped for career in opera
Dara Elizabeth Welty set her goals as high as her voice could reach.
A classic soprano, she graduated with a 4.0 average in voice performance from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Next up were graduate studies at the Boston Conservatory of Music, to begin this fall.
Ms. Welty, 22, hoped the training would take her closer yet to the career in opera that she had envisioned for years.
She was visiting the family of her fiance, Mike Batek, in Cochabamba, Bolivia, earlier this month when she suffered a blood clot. She died June 23 of pulmonary embolism in a Cochabamba hospital.
Ms. Welty, a La Jolla native and San Dieguito High School graduate, turned down other graduate school offers to accept a scholarship to the Boston Conservatory of Music.
“Everywhere she auditioned, they wanted her,” said Sheila Cameron, a family friend. “She was a very talented pianist and played bass violin with the San Diego Youth Symphony.”
Ms. Welty’s 22 years were alive with challenge and adventure. Family members said she explored museums in London, kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland, built sand castles in the Bahamas and swam with dolphins in Mexico.
Ms. Welty played lacrosse on a boys’ team at Diegueno Junior High School in Encinitas. She bungee-jumped, raced off-road vehicles, cross-country skied, hiked and camped.
She competed in youth soccer and softball. And while excelling academically at San Dieguito High, now known as San Dieguito Academy, Ms. Welty competed in volleyball.
Ms. Welty’s first of many stage performances was at age 6. She played Jiminy Cricket in an elementary school production of “Pinocchio.” Another role was the scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz.”
During four years at the University of Wisconsin, Ms. Welty performed lead roles in several operas, including “Der Freischutz.”
“Dara had a passionate love of nature,” said her mother, Dolores Welty, who accompanied her daughter on the trip to Bolivia. “She campaigned for the humane treatment of animals and was proud to be a vegetarian.
“She wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. She became active in Amnesty International through her high school years and continued to take action to further human rights while in college.”
In addition to her mother, who lives in Leucadia, Ms. Welty is survived by her father, Randall Welty; and a brother, Ryan of La Jolla.
A memorial service is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. today at San Dieguito United Methodist Church, Encinitas.
Donations are suggested to Amnesty International, 322 Eighth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10001, or San Dieguito United Methodist Church (Church Organ Fund), 170 Calle Magdelena, Encinitas, CA 92024.
—from a San Diego Union-Tribune obituary by Jack Williams