Audrey Leban

Audrey Thelma Breitkopf Leban passed away September 27, 2005 at the age of 93. Audrey was born May 19, 1932 and grew up in Flatbush (Brooklyn), New York. She was married to Carl Leban from 1954 until his death in 1981. She was married to Melvin Magilow from 1986 until his death in 2009.

She is also preceded in death by her parents, Rose (Friedman) and Irving Breitkopf, her sisters, Muriel ("Mimi") Fruchtman and Doris Miller, her daughter Lynn Denise Leban, her stepdaughter Molly Magilow Proffer, and her stepson Roger Magilow. Audrey and Carl established the Lynn Leban Memorial Scholarship at the University of Kansas in memory of Lynn, awarded to students committed to using their education for service to others. Audrey participated in the selection of the scholarship recipients for many years, helping more than 50 students further their education, until she passed that responsibility on to her sons. Her family established the Audrey Breitkopf Leban Scholarship for Music in her honor in 2021.

She is survived by her sons, Roy Leban and his wife Emily Dietrich, Bruce Leban and his wife Kelly Moutsos; her grandchildren, Rosalyn Leban and her wife Mari Estrada, Greg Leban, Zack Leban, Adam Leban, Melinda Leban, Abigail Proffer Lordan and her husband Joe Lordan, Benjamin Proffer, and Alex Proffer; and her great grandchildren Riley Lordan and Madison Lordan.

She graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Music, where she also met Carl. After they married, they lived in Berlin, Germany; Taipei, Taiwan; and Kyoto, Japan, before settling in Lawrence, Kansas where Carl was a professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Kansas and she worked in the Institute for Study Abroad. Audrey studied art and design at KU, creating mixed media art, frequently involving weaving. She traveled around northeastern Kansas selling eyeglass frames and cases to optometrists and opticians. After doing that for several years, she followed in her father's footsteps by opening her own optical dispensary in Lawrence, Fashion Eyeland, where she disrupted the market by assembling eyeglasses in her own lab and selling them at a single low price. Resuming her artistic career on the side and continuing after she retired from Fashion Eyeland, she created striking black and white visual art which she sold at arts and craft shows. Later, she returned to mixed media, creating brooches which she wore regularly and sometimes gave away. She also collected art, particularly local artists, pottery, and pieces from places she visited. She loved playing and listening to classical music, particularly Beethoven, playing popular songs by ear. She enjoyed jigsaw puzzles, crosswords, sudoku, and other puzzles throughout her life. She loved Chinese food. She always asked for extra olives at Olive Garden because it's in the name.

Audrey lived in Lawrence for 44 years, 16 of them with her beloved dalmatian mix Pepper, with Pepper's trophy from obedience school still proudly displayed in her living room. She was a longstanding member of the Lawrence Jewish Community. In 2011, she moved to Redmond, Washington to be close to her sons and their families.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a cause you share with Audrey or to the Audrey Breitkopf Leban Scholarship for Music at the Kansas University Endowment Association. https://bit.ly/audreylebanscholarship