Leah N. Heilprin

Leah Nicole Heilprin, beloved partner, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, caregiver, and fierce champion of those in need, passed away on September 8, 2026, just days before her 36th birthday.

Born on September 17, 1990, in Madison, Wisconsin, Leah moved with her family to Seattle as a young child and spent most of her life in the Pacific Northwest.

To know Leah was to know someone who lived boldly and loved generously. She had a big personality, a strong will, an independent spirit, and an unmistakable sense of style. She loved travel, tattoos, piercings, art, music, her many pets, and expressing herself in ways that were uniquely her own.

But perhaps the most defining quality of Leah’s life was her giving spirit. She gave gifts to friends and family, food to people in need, encouragement to young women trying to build better lives, and sometimes her last dollar to someone whose need felt greater than her own. Leah had a gift for seeing people whom the world too often overlooked and reminding them, through her actions, that they mattered.

That instinct shaped her professional life. Intelligent and determined, Leah earned her GED at just 16 and later earned an Associate Degree in Applied Science from Seattle Central College in 2020. After exploring different career paths, she found her calling in caregiving and home health, working closely with people with disabilities. She became a skilled advocate and navigator of social services, and many of her clients became friends. To Leah, helping someone who needed her rarely felt like work. It was simply who she was.

Leah was also endlessly creative and loved art projects of all kinds. Following her passing, her extensive collection of craft supplies was donated to Mann Elementary School in Tacoma, where her love of creativity and giving will live on through the teachers and children who use them.

At the center of Leah’s life was her longtime partner of 16 years, Peter Coleman. Through life’s many ups and downs, Peter was her rock, protector, and encourager. He saw Leah for her enormous heart and loved her deeply.

Leah also cherished being “Auntie Leah” to Audrey and Max, delighting in showering them with toys and all the cool things their mother did not know about yet.

Raised in the Reform Jewish tradition, Leah carried with her a deep sense of responsibility to care for others and give to those in need. Those values remained an important part of her identity throughout her life.

Leah is survived by her partner, Peter Coleman; her mother, Dr. Kimberly Bell; her sister, Ashley Heilprin; her brother-in-law, Marcus Hunter; her niece and nephew, Audrey and Maxwell Hunter; her sibling, Court Cureton; and a wide circle of family and friends. She was preceded in death by her beloved father, Richard Heilprin.

Leah’s life included struggles, but those struggles were never the whole of her story. She was funny, creative, colorful, fiercely independent, and generous. She loved imperfectly, and she loved deeply.

Those who loved Leah can honor her memory by doing what came so naturally to her: see the person who is struggling, speak life into them, remind them that they are worthy and loved, and when someone asks for help, meet them where they are.

May Leah’s memory be a blessing, and may the love she gave so freely continue to ripple outward through every life she touched.

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