Friends, admirers remember Kara Leo, Mt. Lebanon baker killed by tree branch

The small Beverly Road storefront of Kara Kakes in Mt. Lebanon was dark on Tuesday morning.

Normally it would have been open by 10 a.m. and illuminated more than anything else by Kara Leo’s constant smile. It’s the overwhelming memory people have of her.

The woman who brought the bakery to life each day, creating coveted cakes and cookies, is gone. But she is certainly not forgotten.

Leo, 40, South Fayette, died after she was hit by a falling tree branch while hiking with her husband Thursday evening in Boyce Mayview Park, according to officials and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner.

Leo died from her injuries hours later at a hospital. Her husband, Jared Quinteros, was seriously injured.

“The whole community has just been blown away and people just sort of walk by and they look at the shop,” said Jeff Iovino, owner of the io Deli next door. “Everyone is like ‘are you OK?’ and I’m not. It’s just going to take a long time to get through this one.”

Iovino and Leo grew up across the street from each other on Beverly Road, not far from where they each established their businesses.

“She would steal my joke that we didn’t make it very far in life,” Iovino said.

Leo certainly made her mark. One of her regular customers was WDVE Morning Show host Randy Baumann.

“She was such a talented culinary artist, really brilliant,” Baumann said. “It seems trite to mention it now, but her cookies were the best I ever had. Ever. I ordered her cakes for birthdays and special celebrations and people were always blown away by how delicious they were. Hearing the news of her passing hit me hard. She was the exact kind of person that made me love living here.”

Iovino said Leo was a loving person.

“Kara was the best. She was just the sweetest person in the world. She loved to create, she loved what she did, she loved her family, she loved to be outside. She was just a great person all the way around,” he said.

Iovino said Leo, who supplied desserts to his deli, was not only a brilliant baker but also had an endearing sense of humor.

“Her bakery was nut-free, gluten-free. Hers was a specialty bakery in that little space that she had. There was a sign on her door that said ‘Nut free’ and her joke was always, ‘I’m the only nut here, so you’re safe,’ ” Iovino said.

“She fit into the neighborhood very quickly and worked very well with everybody because of her joyful personality.”

Baumann said the news of Leo’s passing has shocked his neighbors and everyone who frequented Kara’s Kakes.

“Some people have a special ability to project happiness onto others and Kara was one of those people,” he said.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Beinhauer Funeral Homes in Peters. Family and friends were scheduled to gather at the funeral from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. A celebration of her life will be held on a later date.

Kara Leo is survived by her husband and her two sons, Oliver and Owen. She also is survived by her mother, Laurel Laird, and stepfather, William Laird; her sister, Farrell Leo, and brother-in law, Sean Kramer; stepbrothers Christopher, Michael (Andrea) and Ryan Laird; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in Leo’s name for support of her husband and sons at their GoFundMe page.