Leewitt Elizabeth Ann Withrow
December 28, 1969 – March 3, 2024

Who was Leewitt Elizabeth Ann Withrow? Let her tell you in her own words:

My upbringing was connected with extended family even though my parents divorced when I was a baby. My younger years I lived with my mom, and she was an artist and struggled with alcohol abuse and bipolar disorder. My older brother and I moved with our mom multiple times, and we went to many different schools. Due to my mom’s mental health struggles my emotional development suffered, I spent a lot of time trying to fix things and I had a lot of insecurities.

My evident social identities are: I am a white female, middle aged, mother, public servant, and democrat. Even with a hard upbringing there were important “mentors” in my life. My paternal grandmother Gretchen made sure to always provide loving care and connect with my brother and I. My father provided stability for us in our middle school and high school years. My longtime second parents [God Parents], Joseph and Vicky Reader extended love with visits and incorporating me into their life for the last 40 years. I’m blessed with caring friends and especially having a son who has grown up to be a very kind and caring person. I am lucky and grateful for my life journey.

I have my own mental health journey which helped me learn how to take better care of myself, set priorities and routines for stability and being grounded.

My mental health journey was at many points. I was stuck in depression, but with counseling and building tools I am now a lot stronger and able to balance life stressors. One aspect of my social identities is I am a Nichiren Buddhist. The basics of this religion/philosophy is to chant “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo” for my own happiness and the happiness of others.

This hope-filled practice helps me focus my life, to keep a sense of gratitude, and to keep a positive outlook practice.”

Leewitt wrote the above in September of 2022.

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I met Leewitt during the 1994-1995 school year while I was attending CR. I was in downtown Arcata kickin’ it at old school Sidelines. I was outside the bar when I saw one of my friends, Aviva, with some of her friends, and Leewitt was one of them.

Aviva introduced me to her friends, and they asked me where I was from. When I mentioned the East Bay in a town called Pittsburg, Leewitt asked me if I knew someone she went to San Jose State University (SJSU) with. When I told her I did know that person, that’s how we connected.

During her college years, Leewitt worked various jobs through the semester and summer. Leewitt worked at Healthsport in Arcata, the Co-Op, and Los Bagels to name a few. For a couple of summers, Leewitt worked in Washington on Orcus Island at “Camp Four Winds Westward Ho!” and had a great time meeting different people and enjoying the scenery. Working on Orcus Island had a profound effect on Leewitt and when our son Dexter was old enough, she wanted him to experience the adventure she had, and so Dexter spent two summers at Camp Four Winds Westward Ho! One thing I can say in particular about Leewitt is that she loved our son very much and she would go out of her way to ensure Dexter was taken care of and had the opportunity to experience as much fun as possible during his childhood.

Leewitt graduated from Humboldt State University in 1998 but walked the stage during May of 1999 receiving her Bachelor of Science degree and a few years later, her Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. Leewitt tried hard to find employment as a teacher here in Humboldt County, but during that time, teaching jobs were scarce, and she eventually found employment as a teacher in the Bay Area in Oakland. Working in Oakland, she gained experience working with inner-city kids. Leewitt said it was tough at times, but she persevered and was a better person for the experience.

While working in Oakland, Leewitt met some ladies that were also hired as teachers, who were from the Philippines, and they became roommates. Josie, Charlene, and I forgot the third person’s name, but they all became good friends. The ladies did not have a car, but Leewitt did, so they would ride with her to school, grocery shopping, or on sightseeing adventures.

Working in Oakland was hard on Leewitt because she was away from our son. While she was working in Oakland, she would often make the trip back to Arcata to see Dexter. At that time, I was caring for Dexter full-time, and she would come up during the weekends to relieve me and spend time with our son. Leewitt endured many hardships in her lifetime and when our son was 15 months old, she encountered one of the most difficult.

On May 2, 2003, she experienced one of the most traumatic situations that would shape her for the rest of her life. While driving back up to Arcata, Leewitt was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle right after the bridge over the Russian River coming into Hopland. This crash later resulted in Leewitt having metal in both her forearms and ankles. It took some time for her to recover. Still afterwards, her injuries would affect the way she walked, and she often dealt with pain in her joints, but this did not stop Leewitt from living her life; she was strong-willed and resilient.

After she recovered to the extent that her injuries allowed, Leewitt participated in AmeriCorps as a mentor to the children at Blue Lake Elementary School. Leewitt enjoyed interacting with children and was a positive influence on the students she worked with. After AmeriCorps, Leewitt worked at “Changing Tides” for a period of time and assisted families in providing subsidized childcare.

Then in 2012, Leewitt was hired with the County of Humboldt as an Eligibility Worker for the Department of Health and Human Services. Leewitt was a “people person” and she developed friendships with many of her coworkers. Some of the people Leewitt developed close friendships with were Kim Sullivan, Jenny Cameron, and Julie Fillman. I know there are a lot more people that she was friends with from Eligibility and although they might not be mentioned here, to any of you reading this who knew her, know that she cherished your friendship.

After working in Eligibility for about 5 years, Leewitt applied for and was hired with CWS as a Social Worker. There, Leewitt helped many children in dire straits, and formed new friendships with Donna, Emily, Bianca, Lauren, Michelle, Danielle, and many others.

Working at CWS was hard for Leewitt because of the circumstances and crises that many of the children and families were experiencing. Even though working at CWS was hectic and took its toll on Leewitt, she appreciated the camaraderie amongst her coworkers and could lean on them when she was feeling the stress of the cases she had to deal with. When her cases felt overwhelming, Leewitt also took solace in speaking with CWS’ cultural coach Bruce. Leewitt told me that she admired Bruce because he would provide informal counseling and words of wisdom when she needed someone to listen to her and that she enjoyed his company.

For a brief time, Leewitt stopped working at CWS and transitioned to being an IHSS Social Worker before going back to CWS. This job was also difficult for her because she had to go into her clients’ homes and interview them to determine how many hours they were eligible for. This also affected Leewitt because of the nature of the client’s situation. She had empathy for her clients, and it was difficult for her when she had to deny her client’s request for IHSS hours because they were not eligible based on the criteria she had to abide by.

Readers who knew her may or may not know, but Leewitt inherited bipolar disorder from her mom, and it was something that she had to deal with throughout her life. Leewitt was 22 years old when she encountered her first episode and since then, she had to deal with and manage the repercussions of the aftermath of an episode.

Leewitt’s father abandoned her and has not had any contact with her since that first episode many years ago. In fact, Leewitt has also had other friends abandon her when they found out she is bipolar. Leewitt’s mom would at times call her when she herself was having an episode and this really affected her to the point that she would have to stop taking her calls for a period of time. Although it pained Leewitt to cut her mom off, she knew it was to help preserve her own mental health.

I wrote the above to say this… her having to deal with bipolar did not define who Leewitt Withrow was. Leewitt was an authentic caring person who cherished her relationships with her friends because of her upbringing. She was thoughtful and appreciated the people she cared about.

Leewitt was also an artist. She had her own style of drawing, and she was pretty good at painting with watercolors. She also liked to do crafting, sewing, quilting, crocheting, and she was learning to knit. During the Christmas season, Leewitt and some of her friends attended a wreath making class. She enjoyed the holidays and loved to bake all sorts of pastries, pies, cobblers, and casseroles.

Although Leewitt left this physical world, she will never be forgotten because her memory and energy will remain in our hearts and minds. I am grateful to have known her and that she and I had a son together. I will always remember her smile and appreciate our times together. Leewitt, in many ways helped me become the man I am today.

Leewitt, know that you are missed, thought of, and loved by a lot of people who care about you. You have touched the lives of many with your good positive energy.

Love and Miss You Always,

-Your Friend Jim Gorospe-

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It is important to discuss the difficulties Leewitt faced during her life, not just because it adds to the bigger picture, but because it directly contributed to the development of her compassion, and the professions she chose to engage in.

Leewitt’s childhood was in fact turbulent; her mother, my grandmother, was a semi-functional alcoholic and artist, who struggled with bi-polar disorder. Leewitt would inherit this psychiatric condition and after the age of 22, would take medication for it for the rest of her life. Though she did have a support network in adolescence and adulthood, her mental health struggles did sometimes push friends and family away, as well as impacting the stability of her career. In addition, the car crash in ’03 affected her ability to engage in her favorite outdoor activities and maintain peak health.

It was these myriad of struggles that fueled her compassion. The difficulty in her upbringing allowed her to genuinely empathize with those of all ages who suffer(ed) a rough childhood. Her struggles with mental health allowed her to connect with those who also deal with psychiatric conditions and insufficient coping mechanisms. The way the crash affected her too helped her empathize with the physically disabled. The hardships she was dealt both increased the difficulty of and accentuated her ability to be an effective and compassionate public servant.

It is clear that Leewitt had a passion for working with children, from her time teaching, mentoring children and working in child welfare services. She really wanted to dedicate her time to serving the vulnerable and underprivileged in her community, despite the great stress it placed upon her at times. In truth, she decided to use her experiences from childhood, and develop into the kind of person she needed in her life at that time, and the world is a better place because of it.

How do I remember my mom?

I remember her by her smile, by how happy she was when she looked at me.

I remember her by our walks together, and how she wanted to show me the beauty of Humboldt and beyond. I remember her by all of the places she took me, all the trips to the beaches and the rivers. The times she got me and my dad to go rafting. Our trips to Washington, Oregon, and New York City.

I remember her by our garden, and the many hours I saw her and shared with her gardening and admiring the beauty. I remember how much she loved to see the hummingbirds buzzing about.

I remember my mom by all the sweet treats she used to make to share with me, my father, her friends and even my classmates. I remember her by all of the family recipes and experimental goods, what she made for all my birthdays, and the holidays, and the random days in summer. She always shared her sweetness in many different ways.

I remember her by her music; always filled with upbeat energy. She enjoyed lots of genres, from jazz to reggae, from funk to folk, both rock and pop music too. By far her favorite musician was Michael Franti. His music will always remind me of my mom.

And I remember her stories. When she travelled to London and Taiwan. Her time teaching in Oakland, her time raising me, and so many more of the wonderful times in her life.

I remember her by her friends too. The people she cherished, the people who supported her, and our visits with them.

We all loved you, Leewitt. I love you mom. You brought many good memories and love to many people. You were a light to the people whose lives you touched.

We would like to offer a special thank you to the following people. To Blair’s Direct Cremation and Burial Services, to Priscilla Howard, to Sandra, Jim, and the Poston Family, to Joe and Vicky Reader, to Yvette McFarland, to Mike and Josie Manalac, to The Morris Family, to her friends and coworkers at Humboldt County DHHS, to her friends at the Nichiren Buddhist group, and everyone else who supported her in life, and supported us, her family, in death.

We are planning a celebration of life for Leewitt at a date to be determined.

To inquire and RSVP, contact Dexter at 707-616-6292.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Leewitt Withrow’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.