Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Margaret Leonard Perreira
Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet an educator for more than 50 years
By Sister Mary Dugar, CSJ
Special to the Herald
Oahu-born Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Margaret Leonard Perreira, a life-long grade school teacher and administrator in California and on Maui and Oahu who had a “soft heart for all her students,” died peacefully in Los Angeles on Dec. 6. She was 85 and a religious sister for 64 years.
Fellow Sister of St. Joseph Francine Costello described Sister Margaret Leonard as having a “deep love for community and communal living.”
“Margaret was very precise in everything she did, whether it was writing, planning, designing, thinking, or implementing,” she said. “She felt all of this wasn’t ‘her’ work, but a reflection of the entire community of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet which needed to be presented at its best.”
Sister Francine also saw in Sister Margaret “a soft heart for all of her students.”
“At times, she would take a break from her duties and leave the office to be with the children for recess. She would interact with a small group, affirm their playfulness, tease them and be teased by them,” she said. “She also had a spontaneous sense of humor and often left the group in laughter. This was a renewing space for her.”
Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Patty Chang remembers “Margaret” as someone who “enjoyed life and people, talking story, having a fun time, attending UH football games, and watching thriller movies.”
“She always had a story to share,” she said. “You’d get every detail about what happened and what she thought about it.”
“Margaret loved to celebrate special occasions, planning the menu, preparing favors for the guests, and making sure that everyone had a great time,” Sister Patty said.
Sister Margaret Leonard Perreira was born Madeline Mary in Ewa, Oahu, on Nov, 4, 1938, the second of three children of Jules and Margaret Moniz Perreira.
After attending Sacred Hearts Academy for 12 years, she joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in September of 1958 and received the habit and the name Margaret Leonard in March of 1959.
Sister Margaret Leonard taught in California grade schools until 1966 when she returned to Hawaii. Except for one year teaching in St. Louis, Mo., 1979-1980, she remained in the islands.
Over the years, she taught various grades at St. Theresa School, Honolulu; St. Anthony School, Kailua; and was vice principal at St. Joseph School, Waipahu.
She was the principal for grades kindergarten through six at St. Anthony School in Wailuku, Maui. She continued in administration as the principal for kindergarten through grade eight at Star of the Sea School in Honolulu.
At St. Patrick School, Honolulu, she served from 1991 to 1993 as a computer teacher, and then as vice principal and bookkeeper from 1993 to 2006,
Sister Margaret Leonard served the Carondelet Sisters Vice-Province of Hawaii in positions of leadership and as treasurer. In 2013, she became a caregiver to her stepmother, Theresa, who lived to 101, was an aide in the congregational archives, and a volunteer driver. She went to Los Angeles in 2019 for health reasons.
Sister Margaret Leonard is survived by her sister-in-law, Celia Perreira, nieces Linda Richardson Webb and Bernie Richardson Bellah, nephews Garrett (Ann) Perreira and Ronald Richardson, grandnephew Marques Perreira, and grandniece Marcya Perreira.
A celebration of life will be held at St. Augustine Church in Waikiki on Feb. 1. Viewing begins at 9:30 a.m., the eulogy will be at 10:15 a.m., and Mass at 10:30 a.m. Inurnment will take place at 2 p.m. at Diamond Head Memorial Park.
