Obituary - Mary Elizabeth Leach

Friday, March 09, 2007
THE JUNEAU EMPIRE

Juneau resident Mary Elizabeth "Liz" Leach died on March 3, 2007, at the Juneau Pioneer Home. She was 91.

She was born April 12, 1915, in Sulphur, Okla. Her family moved to Bushnell, Ill., where she attended Bushnell High School. She attended St. Francis Nursing School in Macomb, Ill., and Galesburg Nursing School in Galesburg, Ill.

She married Robert Guiher in 1936. They made their home in Macomb, where they farmed and she worked as a licensed practical nurse in nursing homes. They had a son, Ken. Robert died in 1979. She married Jim Leach, a longtime family friend, in 1984. Jim died in 1997.

She moved to Juneau to live with her son and daughter-in-law in the summer of 2000. She moved into the Juneau Pioneer Home due to declining mobility in 2002.

According to her family, she loved traveling, bowling, swimming, golfing and fishing in Angoon. She taped books for the blind and was an avid musician, pianist and vocalist. She sang on local radio stations in her younger years. She was also a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Juneau.

Family members said she will be remembered for her ready smile and gracious, caring demeanor.

"She was a wonderful mother who was always there for me, supporting and cheering for me in my music and all my endeavors," said her son. "She will be truly missed."

She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Taylor Pullen and Mabel Esther (Coe) Pullen; and brother, Bobby Pullen.

She is survived by her son, Ken Guiher and his wife, Maralee, of Juneau; sister, Anna Lou Kennedy; and four nieces and nephews.

Services will be at 7 p.m. on March 13 at Faith Lutheran Church, 2500 Sunset Drive.

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