Gary D Leach

Gary D. Leach, 75, of Springfield, Illinois, passed away at his home in Springfield on June 15th surrounded by his loving family.  Visitation will be held at St. Jude Catholic Church in Rochester on Sunday, June 19 from 2:00-5:00PM.  The funeral will take place at St. Jude Catholic Church on Monday, June 20, at 10:00AM followed by burial at Rochester Cemetery and a celebration of Gary’s life at the Blue Ridge Club, 411 E. Lake Shore, Dr. Springfield, IL 62712.

 Gary was born at his parents’ farmhouse in Rochester, Illinois on December 17, 1946 and was the son of Ralph L. Leach and Alice Mae Strode.

Gary graduated from Rochester High School in 1964 before attending Southern Illinois University in Carbondale where he studied accounting.  It was at Southern where Gary met the love of his life, Connie Zeller, and started their fairytale life together.  Gary married Connie on September 9, 1967 after their junior year in college.  After college, Gary was drafted into the Army and proudly served his country in Vietnam.  When he returned from Vietnam, Gary began work at the Ernst & Ernst accounting firm where he worked as a public accountant for several years.  Gary later found his true calling when he took a position at the Hospital Sisters Health System, where he had a special bond with the sisters and eventually rose to the position of CFO.  After retirement, Gary and Connie spent most of their winters in Naples, Florida, but always returned to their beloved house on Lake Springfield during the summers where Gary enjoyed time with his six children, their spouses and his sixteen grandchildren.  Gary was an active member of St. Jude’s Parish where he served many years as a Eucharistic Minister and on the Finance Committee.  Gary was a long-standing member of Island Bay Yacht Club and Springfield Motorboat Club, where he served as Commodore.  Gary was also an avid golfer and especially enjoyed his Wednesday morning golf group. Although the last few years of his life were physically challenging, Gary was always working in his yard, cooking on one of his grills or helping his children with their various projects.

Gary is survived by his wife Connie, sons Garret (Jill) of Glenview, Illinois, Brent (Lynn) of Rochester, Illinois, Ryan (Lynn) of Rochester, Illinois, Adam (Bre) of Glen Carbon, Illinois, and Andrew (Nikki) of Springfield, Illinois, daughter Lindsey Batten (Alex) of Rochester, Illinois, brother Steve (Nancy) of Rochester, Illinois, sister JoLynn Rose (Dick) of Downington, Pennsylvania and grandchildren Alec, Jordan, Carter, Gavin, Cameron, Griffin, Mallory, Calie, Laiken, Miles, Reese, Lydia, Augie, Harper, Brooks and Kendall.  Gary will also be missed by his many brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces and nephews.

 In lieu of flowers, donations in memoriam to Gary may be made to either St. Jude Catholic Church, 633 S. Walnut, Rochester, IL 62563 or the HSHS St. John’s Foundation, 800 E. Carpenter Street, Springfield, IL 62769.

A LIVE Feed of the funeral services will be  available for those who cannot physically be present at https://www.facebook.com/ellingerkunzandparkfuneralhome.

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