{"id":131,"date":"2023-07-13T01:10:12","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T01:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluekcstg.wpengine.com\/resource-center\/?p=131"},"modified":"2024-11-26T11:07:08","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T16:07:08","slug":"nanie-sparkles-with-light-love-and-gratitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bluekc.com\/blueprint\/member-benefits\/nanie-sparkles-with-light-love-and-gratitude\/","title":{"rendered":"Nanie Sparkles with light, love and\u00a0gratitude"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Florence Leber shares the details of her life as if they happened yesterday. At age 90, her mind is sharp, her memory is vivid, and her stories captivate. Known by her grandchildren as Nanie Sparkles, she is considered a family treasure and credits her strong mental \ufb01tness to her life that is brimming with non-stop family and social interactions. She\u2019s one sharp cookie. We\u2019re in for a treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life in Kansas City\u2019s Little Italy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy father had a big sausage company, the Mendolia Sausage Company, at 400 Brooklyn,\u201d Florence recalls. Mendolia was a familiar name in Columbus Park, an area known as Kansas City\u2019s Italian neighborhood since the late 19th century. Sundays started with church bells. \u201cWe had to go to 9 a.m. mass because most Italian men wanted their pasta with meatballs at 12 o\u2019clock,\u201d Florence says with a smile. \u201cWe\u2019d spend the whole day with family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the afternoon, the family would gather in the living room for music. \u201cDad loved to hear us play our instruments, whether it was good or not,\u201d Florence recalls. That meant anytime Florence was at the piano \u2013 and her sisters were on their respective accordion, harmonica, and violin \u2013 there was plenty of clapping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florence\u2019s next chapter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1955, at age 22, Florence married Frank Leber. Frank was also 110 percent Italian but had a German-Irish surname because he was adopted as a child by his step-father when his mother remarried after she became a widow. \u201cWe got married in the true Italian Catholic tradition at Holy Rosary,\u201d Florence explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the couple started a family, Florence worked as a loan closing of\ufb01cer for Merriman Mortgage Company. \u201cI was always very detailed. Maybe too much,\u201d confesses the former business school graduate. By age 27, Florence was the head of the department. \u201cIt was a big, important job, with a lot of responsibility,\u201d Florence re\ufb02ects. \u201cThe Merriman\u2019s helped me build an amazing career. I met a lot of important people in Kansas City.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florence retired from the mortgage company in 1965, two years before the birth of her \ufb01rst child. In the years to come, Florence would pour her heart and soul into building a home and a life of her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From wife and mom to Nanie Sparkles and Flo-Flo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After 33 years of raising a successful family, and enjoying a happy, prosperous marriage, Florence lost her husband. \u201cFrank died on July 16, 1998, of pancreatic cancer. It was a sad time \u2026 everyone called him Sonny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, as pictured in her family photo, Florence surrounds herself with her two daughters, two sons-in-law, \ufb01ve grandchildren, and three great grandchildren \u2013 not to mention, countless nieces, nephews, and friends. When the grandkids were little, they called her \u201cNanie Sparkles\u201d because she always had something glittery on. Now that they\u2019re older, they call her \u201cFlo-Flo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florence lives in the Northland with her daughter Mary Camille Tamburello, son-in-law Guy, a professional chef, and Guy\u2019s mother Jean. \u201cThey treat us wonderfully and Guy cooks a gourmet meal every night,\u201d Florence says with appreciation.It\u2019s an open door here,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s just like my mother\u2019s home was \u2013 everyone is welcome, anytime. There\u2019s always food. It\u2019s a beautiful situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes her the family treasure?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Florence isn\u2019t shy about saying that she\u2019s very popular with her family. Or, for that matter, admitting that she likes to talk. \u201cI\u2019ve always been friendly, outspoken, true to the cause, and interested in what others are doing,\u201d Florence professes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m involved with all my family and in what all the kids are doing, and they keep me up on everything. As for my grandkids, I give them \ufb01ve-star ratings, they\u2019re wonderful,\u201d she shares. No one lives more than 20 minutes away, and her grandchildren join her for dinner three days per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florence has diabetes and has been living with chronic back pain from three collapsed discs. For the last several years she has relied on a walked to help her get around. Because of her age, her doctor has advised against surgery and uses stretches and exercises. She sees her doctor at Spira Care for all her primary care needs. \u201cBlue KC<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medicare Advantage has a great plan with lots of extras. With my policy, they give you a physical, take care of bloodwork, and there\u2019s absolutely no charge,\u201d she touts. \u201cThey (Blue KC) also offer an app to help me with my balance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While she may not be as mobile as she used to be, there\u2019s no stopping the 90-year-old, thanks in large part to her daughter, Cara Danner who cheerfully manages most all of her transportation needs. Florence is always ready for activities at<\/p>\n\n\n\n

preschool, church events, baseball games, and happy hours with friends. She gets her nails and hair done every Thursday. And she\u2019s looking forward to boating all summer long on Smithville Lake aboard her family\u2019s boat named \u201cPapa\u2019s Big Water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A perfect name<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The former high school reporter still loves putting pen to paper. Florence shares, \u201cI write things down about how I feel, about my family. I\u2019m beyond blessed because I\u2019ve had a beautiful life, starting with my parents and husband.\u201d The name on her birth certi\ufb01cate reads \u201cFortunate.\u201d (Pronounced For-too-nata.) Florence explains, \u201cTranslated in Italian, it\u2019s fortunate, which means lucky. And yes, I\u2019ve been very, very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Y0126_23-687_C<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City\u2019s Blue Medicare Advantage includes both HMO and PPO plans with Medicare contracts. Enrollment in Blue Medicare Advantage depends on contract renewal.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The HMO products are offered by Blue-Advantage Plus of Kansas City, Inc. and the PPO products are offered by Missouri Valley Life and Health Insurance Company, both independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and wholly-owned subsidiaries of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.<\/span><\/p>\n\r\n\t\t\t

\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Was this helpful?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n \r\n \r\n
\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n \r\n \r\n
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t