This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

Elizabeth Schwartz Luna, 70, died Feb. 18 at Yale-New Haven Hospital with family and friends by her side. Elizabeth, known as Leesa, grew up in West Hartford and Meriden. She was born June 4, 1948, the daughter of the late Edward Schwartz and Davida Schatz Edelson. Leesa is predeceased by her brother Lewis Schwartz.

Leesa is survived by her son Geoffrey Victor Maciolek; daughter-by-choice Lindsay and grandchild Jamie; her sisters Shelley Schwartz Haslett and MaryAnn McLellan, from Manchester, Connecticut, and Alstead, New Hampshire, respectively; her stepfather Josh Edelson; and several nephews, nieces, and cousins.

Leesa graduated Magna Cum Laude from Western Reserve University in 1970 and earned her master’s in liberal studies from Wesleyan University in 1974, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. From a young age, Leesa was a lover of the arts and a vocal, unwavering advocate for the causes she believed in. A true child of the ‘60s, Leesa marched in opposition to the Vietnam War, protested the Kent State Massacre, and attended the original Woodstock Music Festival. She was an avid swimmer and loved folk music, dancing, literature, vintage clothing and accessories, nature, and animals. Her beloved, rescued cat Princess lived to be more than 20 years old . . . although Leesa liked to say Princess was a “lady” and rarely mentioned her age or humble beginnings. Leesa loved to travel, and her favorite place to visit was Key West.

Along with her many passions and interests, Leesa will be best remembered for her strength, her fierce empathy, her open heart, and her incredible efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Leesa was not one to back down from a fight, and her uncompromising advocacy on behalf of people who could not always speak up for themselves helped make this world a better place.

In her first career as a high school English teacher, Leesa educated students of all abilities and learning differences, advocating for their needs—occasionally to the detriment of her own career advancement. In her late twenties, Leesa was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and gradually lost her balance and ability to walk. The challenges she faced as a person living with disabilities fueled her activism, and Leesa fought hard for better treatment and accessibility. She demanded better enforcement of handicap parking laws; she lobbied business owners to comply with the American Disabilities Act; she worked with representatives like Congresswoman Rosa DiLauro to raise awareness and improve legislation; and she used her own traumatic experience of being forced to stand from a wheelchair during a routine mammogram to shed light on harmful medical practices that discouraged, or even blocked, people living with disabilities from receiving adequate medical care. Later in life, when Leesa discovered she had the immune disorder APLS (antiphospholipid antibody syndrome), she networked across the globe to help other people with similar symptoms identify the disease and connect with a supportive community.

Leesa made it her mission to advocate for herself as well as all those who didn’t have the fortitude, education, wellness, or courage to speak up for themselves. Leesa knew she and her community deserved better, and she continually strived to bring about much-needed change. Her salient example of strength, compassion, and persistence lives on in her memory and continues to inspire those who knew her. Leesa was a beloved mother, sister, and friend and will be greatly missed.

Donations can be made in Leesa’s honor to Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Women for Women International, and the American Association of People with Disabilities.

A celebration of Leesa’s life will be held on Sunday, April 7 at 12:30 p.m. in the afternoon at the Robert E. Shure Funeral Home, located at 543 George St., New Haven, CT 06511.