Lea Ann Custer
January 24, 1951-May 1, 2024
Lea passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 after several days in hospice care with devoted family by her side. She began her heavenly journey after receiving the Anointing of the Sick and fervent prayers from loved ones across the country.
Lea is preceded in death by her husband, Raymond Custer. She is survived by two sons, Christopher and Corey, daughter-in-law Linda and their three beloved grandchildren Corey H., Ethan and Ava. She is also survived by sister Mary Prince (spouse Everett Drake) nephew Michael DeVine (wife Susan), niece Jennifer DeVine and their 5 children: Emma, Lily, Edison, Alex and Violet. Also, sister-in-law Dorothee Custer, brother-in-law Frank Custer and nieces Sara Custer and Shannon McGregor and great-nephew Finnegan.
Lea was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan by Clyde and Rosemarie Prince, who were both hearing-impaired and had met at Detroit Day School for the deaf at age 3. Lea met the love of her life and soul mate, Raymond Custer and they were married on September 15, 1972. Lea and Ray remained devoted to each other until Ray’s death on May 12, 2023. They spent the first several years of their married life in Michigan and relocated to Georgia where Lea worked in medical office management and then moved into veterinarian office management where she worked until she retired, thus supporting her love of animals.
Lea was a devout Catholic and since retiring and moving to Murrayville, very active at St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Dahlonega, Georgia as well as the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Lea had an infectious smile and loved to laugh and have fun. She was passionate about her family and worked hard to maintain loving relationships, making each person feel so special. Lea was the BEST wife, mom, grandma, sister, aunt and friend that anyone could ever hope for. In her final years, her two feral rescue cats brought her additional comfort.
Lea will be remembered for her charisma, loving nature, kindness, strength, generosity and wonderful sense of humor. She is an inspiration to many. It was her fierce love of family and eternal optimism that enabled her to live with a terminal cancer (Leiomyosarcoma) for almost 18 years. Although she will be dearly missed, her family and many friends are grateful to have enjoyed her beautiful presence for so long.
A funeral Mass/memorial service will be held at St. Luke’s Catholic church in Dahlonega, on
Friday, May 10, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to:
LMSDR, a support and research fund for leiomyosarcoma https://lmsdr.app.neoncrm.com/Lea
St Luke’s St. Vincent de Paul, 91 N Park St., Dahlonega, GA 30533
The Purrfect Cat for You- Feral Cat Society of Georgia https://fcpga.org
Written tributes may be submitted at https://mcdonaldandson.com/dahlonega-obituaries/
