Loved and Lost: Wendy Leeds didn't let MS keep her down, in her career or as an active mom

Deena Yellin
NorthJersey.com

This story is part of Loved and Lost, a statewide media collaboration working to celebrate the life of every New Jersey resident who died of COVID-19. To learn more and submit a loved one's name to be profiled, visit lovedandlostnj.com.

Wendy Leeds — who struggled with multiple sclerosis for over 30 years — did not have an easy life. 

But the longtime Haworth resident wasn't a complainer.  

"She made the best of it," said her daughter, Katie, who lives in Manhattan. 

Making the best of it meant that Wendy continued to be a devoted soccer mom even after her disease had progressed to the point that she couldn't walk without the aid of a cane.   

"She was at every sports game, every chorus recital, every talent show. She made sure to be there" said Katie. "She had difficulty walking but didn't let it affect her."

On Fridays, she volunteered at Katie's school as one of the "ice cream moms," who sold frozen novelties as a fundraiser.  All the students there, and pretty much everyone in town, knew her as outgoing, friendly, and fiercely loyal, said Katie.  

Wendy Leeds

At summer camp, when all of the parents arrived for visitors day, they'd "come running down the hill" to see their children, Katie recalled. Wendy had to be driven by the camp director on his golf cart but acted like nothing was amiss. She grinned and waved excitedly when she spotted her daughter, just like everyone else.

"She didn't let her illness bring her down," Katie said, recalling that she was "constantly on the phone with friends" and loved going out to dinner and movies with her husband and their friends.

"She set an example of, 'Life is tough but you don't have to wallow in the suffering.'" 

She enjoyed indulgences, such as reading Danielle Steel books, watching soap operas, buying and selling music on e-bay and watching Syracuse basketball games with her husband, Steve, and Katie, who had all attended the school. 

When she'd pull up to the Closter Starbucks in her silver Subaru, everyone knew it was her. "They all knew her name and they all knew her drink: A venti iced white chocolate mocha with whipped cream, whole milk and extra pumps of syrup," recalled Katie.  "She wasn't a big eater, but she loved her drink."

Before she retired to become a stay-at-home-mom, she enjoyed a successful 14-year-career as a program director and music director at various radio stations around New York — including WXLO, WPIX-FM, WQCD and WNEW-AM. 

"She brought a lot of joy to radio listeners in New York and brought them a genre of music — smooth jazz — that wasn't readily available," said Steve, her husband of 35 years, who was one of her biggest fans. 

Wendy Leeds

She was so beloved by her company that she was featured with a two-page spread in the annual 1989 Tribune Company Annual Report as a model employee, he said, adding that she was recognized by the music industry for "often being in the vanguard of breaking new artists and for being supportive," so she received RIIA certified gold/platinum awards for Sade, Miami Sound Machine, Anita Baker, Whitney Houston and even Michael Jackson. 

She had a rule about not dating anyone in the entertainment industry, said Steve. But she broke her rule to date Steve, whom she met through friends. And after two years, they married in 1986. 

She was hesitant about getting pregnant because she feared it could exacerbate her MS, Steve recalled.  But with her doctor's encouragement, she opted to "get on with her life." She called Katie her "miracle child," because she was born without any complications, said Steve. 

"She was unique," he said, recalling Wendy's love of jazz, 70s pop, classic rock, rhythm and blues and other forms of music. 

In January of 2021, she died at age 63, leaving their Haworth home too quiet, he said.   

"There will never be another Wendy." 

Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: yellin@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @deenayellin