Biography:
Lillian Clark was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1930. In 1931, the family including her mother, Nancy, her grandmother, and several aunts, uncles and cousins, moved to Harlem in The Great Migration. She was the eldest of five, having two sisters and two brothers.
Leah met and fell in love with Daniel Storms after he came home from WW II, and in 1949 she joined the Storms clan on 133rd Street; with his parents, and his three brothers and their wives and children. She said that her bond with her mother-in-law Mattie Storms was one of the most valuable relationships of her life.
Leah and Daniel had three daughters, Deborah, Diane, and Danella (aka DeeDee). She lovingly referred to them as “My Three Roses.” In 1958 Daniel died, and she courageously raised her daughters as a single mom. In the late ‘70s they all moved to the Bronx, until 1981 when the family purchased 202 West 133rd Street.
She was thrilled to be back in Harlem, living surrounded by her daughters, grandsons, great-grandchildren, and nephew. She enjoyed her role as the building’s Maintenance Manager and over time, she became “the grandma in the window,” with a watchful eye over her family and the block, just as her grandma did when she was a child.
Leah attended Needle Trades High School in Manhattan and worked in the garment industry. In 1966 she became a clerk at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weil Cornell Medical Center. She retired in 1995 after 30 years of commended service.
She is mourned and will be lovingly remembered by her 3 daughters Deborah, Diane, and Danella, 1 son-in-law, 4 grandsons and their wives, 12 greatgrandchildren, 4 great-greatgrandchildren, 3 nephews, 2 nieces, 1 sister and brother-in-law, and 2 sisters-in-law.
Leah is dearly missed. She touched many, many hearts and she will continue to live through us all.
Lovingly Submitted By,
The family
