Daisy was born in Jackson County, N.C. to Alden and Mamie (Moore) Ashe. She was the third of five children. In July 1951 she married Eldon Leopard in Sylva, N.C. Steady work in N.C. was hard to find and pay was low. They heard Oregon had logging jobs and the pay was better.
In 1952 they loaded up Daisy’s Mom and Dad and youngest brother, Glen, and the five of them set out across the country to Oregon in a 1948 Hudson Commodore. Within the next few years other members of both families joined them in Oregon.
They settled in Sweet Home where Eldon worked in a lumber mill for a short time but was drafted shortly after and sent to Korea as a Marine. Upon his return, they moved to Springfield, and later to Cottage Grove. Daisy was a full-time homemaker. She loved being a stay-at-home mom, caring for their four children and their home.
Her parents passed away in 1985 and 1988. She cared for them during their last years, bringing them home to live with the family. Her home, even as a child, was always full of extended family. But Daisy said goodbye to some much-loved family members.
When she was four she lost her older sister, Dorothy, who died of pneumonia at nine years old. She lost her first grandchild, Bryan Paul Howard, in 1975. Then her son-in-law Steve passed suddenly in 2019. Her brother Hayes passed in 1997 and her brother Bob in 2021. Daisy had also said goodbye to five very special brothers-in-law and two sisters in law. Each loss made family even more important to her.
In 2009 her loving husband of 57 years, Eldon, died suddenly after completing a long round of treatment for cancer. He was her first and only love, meeting as teenagers and marrying shortly after turning 18.
They grew their family and remodeled and built several homes together. They enjoyed working together in the yard and doing projects around those houses. They loved taking trips to various lakes, parks and points of interest around Oregon. But neither of them liked to be away from home for long, so most outings were day trips or sometimes an occasional weekend trip to visit family.
Daisy was a very loving and caring mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She is survived by her four children, Dorothy Howard (Paul), Steve Leopard (Linda) and Joyce Miller – all of Cottage Grove – and Colleen Krebs (Mike) of Hubbard, Ore.
Daisy was a devoted grandmother, often acting as the babysitter while parents worked. She is survived by her grandkids Todd Howard (Danielle) of Coos Bay, Ore. Angela Brambila (Moi) of Burnaby, British Columbia, Jeremie Miller of Durham, N.C., Stacia Krebs-Johnson (Justin) of Mt. Angel, Ore., Kevin Krebs of Hubbard, Ore., Justin Leopard and Bradley Miller, both of Cottage Grove.
She also had five great-grandchildren; Bryan, Sydney and Wyatt Howard of Coos Bay, and Nicholas and Shayla Brambila of Burnaby, B.C.
She is also survived by her younger brother, Glen Ashe (Denise) of Lebanon, Ore. and several sisters-in-law and one brother-in-law.
Family was always Daisy’s main focus. She looked forward to family gatherings, be it celebrating holidays, someone’s birthday, the annual family reunion or just a backyard BBQ. That was always her most cherished time. She would cook for days, clean the house from top to bottom, and decorate for whatever the occasion.
She wanted to make everything special. At Christmastime she loved to make the “Christmas candies,” which took weeks but can’t be touched until Christmas Eve. Of course she was often caught sampling the candy just to make sure it tasted right! She did have a sweet tooth! However, she never fooled the grandkids as they always knew where Grandma’s candy stash was.
It will be at family time that we will miss her the most because family was the center of her life. We were blessed to have her as our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and will always have a special place in our hearts for her. Thankfully we have many happy memories to hold on to.
Arrangements by Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel and Crematorium in Cottage Grove.
