Sydney Leach

Obituary of Sydney J. Leach

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Sydney Joan Leach, 86, a longtime resident of Morris Plains, passed away peacefully at the Morris Medical Center Hospice & Palliative Care Unit on January 27th, 2025.

Sydney worked as Assistant to the Director of the Morris County Park Commission at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Whippany, NJ, years ago. She also contributed greatly to the orderly development of Morris Plains while serving on the Planning Board for about 20 years.

Sydney is survived by her husband, Howard Leach, Jr., her sister Ruth Gau and husband, Gregg, of Poughkeepsie, NY, nephew Ken Gau and wife Patricia and daughters Emma and Katelyn of Overland Park, KS, niece Kristin Kuzel and husband Jaryk and sons Deryk and Peter of Poolesville, MD. She is also survived by brother-in-law Duane Leach and wife Anne and family of Scotia, NY.

She was born, daughter of Grace and Kenneth Reeve, and attended schools in the Bound Brook and Somerville, NJ, areas. After which the family moved to Niskayuna, NY, where she graduated from Nott Terrace High School, Schenectady, NY, Cornell University with a BS in 1960, and the University of Illinois with a MS in Molecular Biology.

During summers when growing up, she enjoyed sailing on Galway Lake, Galway, NY. She was also an avid photographer, a longtime supporter of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and took many pictures of birds and of the Morris County Park Commission events.

Donations may be made in Sydney’s memory to the Morristown United Methodist Church, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Raptor Trust, or a charity of your choice.

Arrangements are under the care of Dangler Funeral Home, Morris Plains, NJ. 

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