Leone Webster, a longtime resident of Ojai, Calif., died peacefully on Nov. 6, surrounded by family and friends. She was 74.

She was born in New York on Oct. 17, 1948. She and her husband, renowned photographer Guy Webster, moved from Los Angeles to Ojai in 1980. Their daughters Jessie and Merry grew up there and attended Oak Grove School, where Leone was passionately involved as a parent, volunteer and board member.

Her career began in New York city, where she worked as a successful fashion model and actress. She moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s with an acting contract at Universal Studios. In midlife, she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and organizational management and then a master’s degree in conflict resolution, both from Antioch University. A fierce human rights activist, she was supervising mediator for the Santa Barbara Superior Court from 2000 to 2013.

Always active in the Ojai community, Leone was at the forefront of the early ‘90s movement to stop the development of the Weldon Canyon landfill. Since 2010, she simultaneously chaired Oak Grove School’s board of directors while serving as a board member of the Krishnamurti Foundation of America. Since 2017, she was also on the board of the East End’s Senior Canyon Mutual Water Company.

She was an accomplished swimmer who, for 30 years, participated in the masters swim program at the Ojai Athletic Club. In later life, she became a prolific fine art painter and continued to enjoy walking, singing, book club and many friends in Ojai and on Martha’s Vineyard, where she and her family spent magical summers each year.

In her early 20s, Leone visited the Vineyard and immediately knew that she would share the beauty of the Island once she had children. The Websters rented a house before buying and renovating their charming cottage in Menemsha. For more than 30 years, those idyllic summer months were spent with friends and family who live on or visit the Island. Her family intends to keep the house so they can continue the joyful traditions of years past.

Leone was predeceased by her parents and husband Guy. She is survived by her loving daughters Jessie and Merry, Merry’s husband Chris Nenadich and their beloved Aero, born this year. Her devoted older sister Meredith McCarty came from northern California to be with her throughout the months of her illness. She was also close with Guy’s older children, Sarah, Erin and Michael, who live in Europe with their families.

In recent months, the high points of her days were the heartfelt chats, food offerings, flowers, cards, shared memories, laughs and love with friends and family. The Webster family deeply appreciates the hospice nurses with Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurses Association and other compassionate caregivers.

The Leone Webster Memorial Fund has been established at the Oak Grove School in honor of her enduring leadership and volunteerism and so that her legacy will continue in perpetuity. Contributions can be made at oakgroveschool.com/leone.