Leah Jeanine Burr Jordan's Obituary
Leah Jeanine Burr Jordan, lover of native plants, reading, her family, and her community, died on July 14th, 2025. She didn’t like the word “battle” when it came to her journey with brain cancer, but she did everything she could to stay in this world as long as possible. Her friends and family all knew her as a kind, creative, hilarious person. She graduated from a college in Oklahoma, where she made friends that she held dear until the end. While in college, she also discovered her love for pottery, and continued practicing for years later. Leah earned her Master’s Degree in Higher Education at the University of Arkansas and was an academic advisor in Fulbright College there for several years. Her husband, Daniel, will do his best to raise their two children–Lillian (8) and Ada (4)–with the same grace, emotional vulnerability, and deep love that Leah had for them. Leah’s devotion to her close friends and family has been reciprocated and will buoy Daniel and the girls for their whole lives. Leah and Daniel shared 20 beautiful years together, starting with dating in high school in 2005, and marrying in 2010. Leah enjoyed traveling to new places, eating delicious food, and drinking a nice wine on a patio.
Leah’s life has made an impact on countless people, and her love for reading and building community led directly to the creation of Pearl’s Books, which she and Daniel opened in fall 2021. It is one of her proudest accomplishments to have created a space that people feel is essential to the town that she loved.
Leah is survived by her husband, Daniel Jordan; her daughters, Ada and Lillian; her parents, Frank and Betty Burr; her brother, Mark Suetter; her sisters, Bethany Mathis and Christine Bingaman; and many nieces and nephews.
Please donate to your favorite charity in Leah’s honor in lieu of flowers. Some of Leah’s favorites were Big Paws of the Ozarks, ACLU, Arkansas Abortion Network, First Descents, National Brain Tumor Society, Fayetteville Public Library, and Hope Cancer Resources.
Leah’s life will be celebrated at a memorial service in the Parish Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at 3:30pm on Friday, July 18th, under the direction of Moore’s Chapel in Fayetteville.
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