Winfred “Fredi” Mohr Leaf
April 19, 1931 – January 17, 2025
Fredi Leaf was one of a kind. In her almost 94 years, she lived life with a splash of color, a sharp wit and an open hearted kindness to many. She was always ready with a cup of coffee, a friendly pat on the arm and a listening ear. Her wide ranging life experiences and prodigious memory plus her hilarious snarky quips, combined into many a lively conversation with friends and family alike. She will be sorely missed.
Winfred Mohr was born April 19, 1931 and raised in Houston TX. with her parents, Lucile and Fred, and her younger brother Ron. After graduating from Milby High School in 1949, she attended one year of art school on scholarship at The Art Center Association connected to University of Louisville in Louisville KY. In Louisville she had a brief marriage, a 9 month stay as an inpatient at National Jewish Health, a tuberculosis sanitarium in Denver, and another brief marriage that turned out to be not a good match. Then in May of 1954 at age 23, Fredi moved to Chicago on her own to start anew.
Fredi held a variety of jobs during these single years in Chicago. She worked as a hat check girl at a jazz bar, as a receptionist at a plumbing manufacturer, as a window dresser at Carson Pirie Scott department store and as a graphic artist at Public Relations Bureau. She also created vast volumes of art that she sold for cheap at the annual Old Town Art Fair.
After dating Marshall Leaf for a couple years, they decided to get married and start a family. Marshall’s Jewish parents weren’t too keen on him marrying a Methodist so they eloped to Belgium and got married in a civil ceremony on October 15,1960. The Leafs raised their two children – daughter, Erika and son, Seabrook in the 3 story Chicago brownstone that would become an iconic expression of Fredi’s signature flair of color, craft and display.
After almost 60 years of living in her Dearborn St home, Fredi had filled it to the brim with hundreds of her colorful paintings, 3D works of art, dazzling vast collections of folk art from around the world, found objects and materials, and anything that delighted or intrigued her visually. Each year she would set up fantastic and quirky displays of seasonal objects for Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and her personal favorite holiday, Day of the Dead. Her house became an extension of her Self as an artist and made a strong impression on all who entered. To see many examples of her art, visit FrediLeaf.org.
Fredi was a curious explorer of worlds near and far. In 1959 at age 28, adventurous Fredi took a solo trip to Japan on a freighter, and spent several months exploring Japan, Thailand and Hong Kong. Later, Fredi and Marshall were fortunate enough to travel frequently, both for business and pleasure. They had many international friends and hosted multiple foreign students in their home over the years.
During her middle years, Fredi worked as a skilled conservation technician at the Chicago History Museum in the Textile Conservation Lab. For over 32 years (1987-2019), she had the best volunteer gig imaginable for her, working alongside many cool people who became dear friends, conserving garments, dolls, and other artifacts, especially textiles, representing fascinating parts of Chicago’s history. Her meticulous organization and record-keeping, her skills and passion for craft, nostalgia, collecting and conserving, combined with her generosity, friendly good-natured spirit, and her love and respect for museums and people, made Fredi one of the most appreciated loved, and memorable staff members in the C.H.M.’s long history.
In 2010, after 59 years of marriage, Marshall passed away. Nine years later in 2019 she moved to Eugene, Oregon to be closer to Erika and Seabrook and her grandchildren. Fredi lived out the rest of her life in a sweet little bungalow that she grew to love. Even after her mobility decreased, the many birds and squirrels that visited her bird feeders were a source of joy and aliveness. And she also enjoyed her weekly movie date at Erika’s house and rides in the car where she continually marveled at the wide variety of plants and trees in Eugene yards.
Her incredible mind amazed us to the very end. She could reach into her extensive knowledge of history and culture to entertain us with interesting stories, songs and all manner of fun conversation. She remained strong and independent, enjoying her music, books and quiet time. An avid reader of daily papers, she also consumed a wide range of books from genteel British murder mysteries to current non fiction to whatever showed up in her brightly painted Little Free Library out front. She read an astounding 110 books in 2024!
Fredi took her last breath peacefully in a quiet sleep on the evening of Jan 17 surrounded by family. She was able to die peacefully in her own bed just as she had wanted, and as her parents and her husband before her had been able to do. In the weeks leading up to this, there were many loving family visits, bedside fashion shows, lively banter and frank conversations about death. She was unsure what would happen when she passed, but took great satisfaction in knowing she’d, as she put it, “had such a good run on earth”.
She is survived by her son Seabrook, daughter Erika, niece Samantha, son-in-law Chris, her 3 beloved grandchildren, Becca, Jess ( granddaughter-in-law Mackenzie) and Ben, and countless friends and fans of all ages. We will forever miss and love this iconic colorful bright star. May she fly free forever.In lieu of an in person gathering, we invite you to help us celebrate the imprint her life has made on all of us by sharing a photo and/or a memory on her online Celebration of Life page.