Obituary of Minerva Leathem

  A live webcast will begin approximately 4 pm  Tuesday, May 19, 2020 http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/29654

Minerva Leathem, 89, of Ashburn, VA passed away peacefully on May 14, 2020.  

Born on August 16, 1930 in San Benito, TX to Juan Manuel Perez and Maria G. Trevino Perez, her family moved to Bienavides, Texas and then in 1943 to San Antonio, Texas.  She went to Thomas Jefferson high school and started work as a clerk at Joske’s department store before being employed at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio.  There she met her husband (Don) who was in the Air Force.  They married in Anchorage, Alaska on the day after Christmas, 1959.  They had their first child (Paul), in Alaska.  They then moved from Alaska to Phoenix, Arizona, where their second son (Don) was born, and 15 months later, their daughter (Wendy) was born.  They had wonderful memories of their following assignments in Colorado and Germany, eventually settling in Virginia.

Minerva had a career as a contracting officer in the federal government, with her last job being in the Department of Labor.  When she and her husband retired they built a lovely house in Williamsburg, Virginia and had many happy years there.  She was devoted to her family and was a wonderful cook who made elaborate and beautiful holiday meals.  She and her husband eventually moved to Ashburn, Virginia where they enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 46 years Donald H. Leathem; daughters Donna and Dalinda Leathem and Wendy Lynn Brannam; brothers Jose Hector Perez, Juan Manuel Perez, Teodolo Omar Perez, Alonzo Perez, and Refugio Perez. She is survived by sons Paul Leathem and her daughter-in-law Jane of Ashburn, VA, and Donald Leathem and her daughter-in-law Stacie of Alexandria, VA; grandchildren Jenna, Samantha, Matthew, and Claire; and siblings Arturo Perez, Dalinda Bernal, and Graciela Bocanegra.

Her family would like to thank the staff of the California Ward in the Potomac Valley Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center for their kind and dedicated care of her for over four years.  A rosary will be held virtually on May 19, 2020 at 4 pm Adams-Green Funeral Home.  A private funeral mass will be held on May 20, 2020 at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church with burial to follow at Fairfax Memorial Park.