Karen

Bunny and I met Karen thru the Lenten Soup for the Soul program where she volunteered as a hostess. Karen lived her whole life as a people helper.

I am a 100% disabled veteran, and a published author who can no longer read or write. Karen has been helping with my research and editing three afternoons a week. Not only was she kind multi-talented, and spiritually motivated, but highly intelligent, with a sharp and creative mind, a quick wit, and a large data bank. We often laughed when we were working together.

Bunny and I are but two of the many grateful people that benefited from knowing Karen, and whose lives are enhanced by her presence on this planet. We cannot help but be saddened by the loss of this beautiful blessing to our lives.

Revs Sam and Bunny Sewell

Family and friends remember Naples homicide victim as quick-witted, giving woman

Jessica Rodriguez, Naples Daily NewsPublished 7:05 p.m. ET July 5, 2019 | Updated 4:10 p.m. ET July 6, 2019

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Karen Leiti (Photo: Courtesy of: Jessica Leiti)

Karen Leiti thrived when helping others. Her energy and positivity helped friends and strangers alike through difficult situations.

Collier County Sheriff's Office said Leiti, 64, of Naples, was killed early Wednesday by her roommate, Amanda Cook, 35.

The two lived in a home together on the 1900 block of Imperial Golf Club Boulevard, but were not related, according to her daughter, Jessica Leiti.

Deputies responded to a medical call from the house around 2 a.m. and found Leiti dead on the living room floor, according to the sheriff’s office.

According to an arrest report, a preliminary investigation by the District 20 Medical Examiner’s office found blunt force trauma to the left side Leiti’s head.

Investigators arrested Cook and booked her through the Naples Jail Center.

Jessica and Karen Leiti (Photo: Courtesy of: Peggy Grady)

Leiti's friends remember her as a quick-witted, humble woman who went out of her way to help others as often as possible.

Uma Dunn met Leiti when a friend referred her during the last days of her brother’s life.

Dunn needed someone to help her family while her brother received cancer treatment. When Dunn’s brother died, Leiti helped with funeral arrangements and naturally formed a strong bond with Dunn.

“We became more like sisters than friends,” Dunn said. “Her top attribute was staying positive.”

Dunn and Leiti routinely called each other at 11 a.m. daily. On Wednesday, Dunn felt sick and postponed their talk. 

She then received a phone call from Heather Kearney, another friend of Leiti’s.

“I was in total shock when I heard the news,” Dunn said. “When I heard she died, I immediately thought it was of natural causes because I knew she had a heart condition. I was in complete disbelief when I learned it was a murder.”

Leiti always wanted to believe in people’s goodwill, Dunn said.

“She never chose to see the bad in people,” she said. “She always wanted to see the good in people.

Leiti kept Kearney on her toes. Leiti’s quick wit challenged her sarcasm. 

“Not too many people are that witty,” Kearney said. “She had an interesting sense of humor and meeting her was a true test of my witt. She was such a natural at making people laugh.”

Kearney and Leiti met while at the 7-Eleven on Granada Boulevard in Naples. Leiti would wait for her daughter to finish working while Kearney waited for her wife to finish her shift. 

It did not take long for the two to click, Kearney said.

Karen Leiti at a younger age (Photo: Courtesy of: Peggy Grady)

Following Wednesday’s news, Jessica Leiti struggled to come to terms with her mother’s death.

Jessica, who lost her father when she was 14, had a close relationship with her mother. 

“She always talked about the afterlife, but we would always laugh it off and I would always tell her ‘mom, you have so much time here.’”

Jessica describes her mother as her best friend, who always wanted the best for her.  

Peggy Grady, Leiti's sister, found out Wednesday's news through Jessica's boyfriend, Douglas Ranklin.

Grady said the news was a horrible shock. She describes Leiti, her only sibling, as the outgoing and talkative one, while she takes the title of the quiet one.

The two grew up in Pennsylvania.

"I'm going to miss her phone calls, Grady said. "She had this very amusing way of telling stories."