Leanne Blackmore Behn

Leanne Blackmore Behn passed away on August 7th after a short but determined battle with cancer.  The following is an obituary written by her loving family.

Leanne was a sweet and gentle soul who grew up and raised her children in North Salem. She learned how to be a good person from her parents, James and Marilyn (Stewart) Blackmore, who were teachers, and from Sunday school. She enjoyed hearing and telling stories about her family and possessed a sharp sense of humor that she shared with her brother, Jeffrey Blackmore, and his beloved wife, Genni Russell. She found her greatest joy in raising her children, James (JD) Clampitt and Leslie Sutherlin; in sharing the care of her grandchildren, Bayli Clampitt, Addison Clampitt, Mikhaila Berry, and Alayna Berry; and in her relationship with her soulmate and husband, Philip Behn. She loved her daughter-in-law, Stacey Clampitt, as her own, along with her siblings, Evan Blackmore, Emily Collier, and Emily Lagle, and cherished sharing laughs and love with them.

Leanne had fond memories of growing up with family and friends and going to school in North Salem. She learned how to run a household from her mother during many lean years. She always enjoyed the people she served. She loved working with children as a childcare operator, and she enjoyed serving people and bookkeeping as a teller and then executive assistant at North Salem State Bank. She was proud of her 13 years serving as the elected Clerk-Treasurer of North Salem, but equally proud of her jobs working as a waitress. She loved to write both fiction and newspaper features. When she moved to Bloomington to join Phil, she worked as the supply manager for a large medical practice. She retired to help raise her granddaughters in what was a true labor of love.

Leanne loved music. Her favorite groups were the Moody Blues and Jimmy Buffett, whom she saw several times in concert. She loved to dance at concerts, line dancing, ballroom dancing, and any time she heard a song she liked at home whenever the mood struck her.

Leanne expressed her love through her deeds as well as her words. She learned to cook by watching her mom and passed on that love by preparing family and individual favorites for her kids and grandkids. She delighted in doing crafts with her grandkids as they grew up, such as painting and making sock snowmen and snow globes.

Her family has loved her to the moon and back, and her loss leaves a void in our lives that we cannot fully fill. We will mourn and celebrate her life at Eric M.D. Bell Funeral Home in Pittsboro, on Friday, September 11, 2026.  Visitation will be held from 11 am to 1 pm, with the service honoring Leanne's life beginning at 1 pm.  Leanne will be laid to rest in Fairview Cemetery in North Salem following the service.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests that you donate in her memory to your favorite charity or one of hers. Leanne particularly supported the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research, Bloomington New Hope for Families, the Humane Society (or a local animal shelter), and Meals on Wheels.

All are encouraged to keep Leanne's family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time of loss.