The life of Mary Leitch; 103 years of service, spirit and joy

AMENIA — Mary Leitch, of Amenia, whose life was filled with energy, generosity, and kindness, passed away peacefully at the age of 103 on Christmas Eve morning. For decades, she touched the lives of many and left a lasting mark on the communities of Millerton, Millbrook and Amenia.

Leitch was born in Millerton in 1922 and grew up on Winchell Mountain in the hamlet of Irondale. Her early schooling was at Irondale’s 1858 one-room schoolhouse until it closed in 1930. She was proud of having been the last living person to attend that District No. 7 school, one of 14 one-room schoolhouses serving the town. From the third grade onward, she attended school in the Millerton school district.

In 2014, the Irondale schoolhouse was moved to the village of Millerton’s Main Street to serve as a visitor center for the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. The preservation project was accomplished by the Friends of the Irondale Schoolhouse, an organization that had been formed in 2008 and continues to manage the operations of the visitor center.

“If you sit still, you will rust,” was a favorite Leitch saying, perhaps inspired by the Irondale district and the area’s iron industry.

Leitch delighted in the outdoors and in the company of animals and people, caring for many dogs—especially Jack Russells—and cherishing the horses that were part of her long, vibrant life. An avid sportswoman, she enjoyed deer hunting and fishing, keeping her licenses current right up until her passing. She was a longtime member of both the Jack Russell Club of America and the Dutchess County Professional Horsemen’s Association.

In 1958, she married William (Billy) Leitch of Millbrook, a professional horseman, sharing a love of the sporting life and enjoying active membership in the Millbrook Hunt Club. Billy pre-deceased her in 2015. The pair never had any children.

Mary Leitch spent her life caring for others, whether nurturing children or tending to horses. When the pandemic began in 2020, she found yet another way to help others, sewing over 600 facemasks that she freely gave to anyone in need.

“She was mother to so many by her love,” said Bishop Gerardo Colacicco of St. Joseph’s Church in Millbrook, during her funeral mass on Tuesday, Dec. 30. Bishop Colacicco enjoyed many years of friendship and had visited with Leitch during her final days and hours, as did numerous neighbors and friends.

At the age of 101, Leitch was featured in The Millerton News by Arts Editor Natalia Zukerman, part of a series of articles highlighting her many contributions and active involvement in the community.

“She was my girl; she was everyone’s girl,” said Pine Plains resident Nan Cassidy, reflecting on decades of friendship.

“You could say a lot of nice things about Mary,” said Paula Redmond of Amenia. “No grass grew under Mary’s feet. She loved life, and she loved people,” Redmond said, a sentiment shared by Redmond’s husband, Toby Collins, from their perspective as next-door neighbors to Leitch.

“She even had a Harley Davidson at one point that she was very proud of,” Redmond added.

“Mary Leitch was a special person,” observed Pastor Douglas Grandgeorge of The Smithfield Church in Amenia. “When it was inconvenient to attend St. Joseph’s where she had been baptized after expressing a lifelong desire to be a Catholic, she gladly attended Smithfield Church with her friends and neighbors, Paula and Toby. For that reason, she and I became fast friends. She was our nearest neighbor to the north, greatly loved and respected.”