Dr. Thomas James Leach, Jr.

7-13-1939 - 1-26-2025

Dr. Thomas James Leach, Jr. passed away Sunday, January 26, 2025. He was living in Heather Glenn at Scotia Village and had been there for 4 years. He was born in Wilmington, DE, the son of Thomas James Leach, Sr and Eileen Hamill Leach as well as his brother, Richard George Leach. He was also preceded in death by his first wife, Louise Stewart Leach, of Harrisonburg, VA and his second wife, Sharon Sharp, of Wagram.

He is survived by 2 daughters: Karen Elizabeth Leach of the home (Wagram); and Heather Leach Lankford (of Harrisonburg, VA) – along with her husband Andrew Lankford and 2 grandchildren, Emma Catherine Lankford and Andrew James Lankford. He is also survived by his two sisters: Barbara Ann Lutes (and family) of Michigan and Susan Leach Hepola (and family) of Texas. Tom always kept in close touch with his sisters and their children and followed their careers and lives and enjoyed our summer Reunions in Hagerstown, MD. He was very close to his daughters and enjoyed hearing about their lives and keeping up with his grandchildren.

While at Scotia, Tom participated in many of the weekly activities such as the Writing Workshop, Poetry Workshop and Trivia Contests; all were weekly events for him. He also led a program called “The Word” for residents of Assisted Living. He really enjoyed this opportunity to once again “teach/lead” a class. For most of his time at Scotia, Tom enjoyed swimming daily and using the workout room. When you visited him, he seemed to know everyone, and they all knew him. Everyone was always happy to see and visit him.

Dr. Leach began his career as an officer-candidate at the Annapolis Naval Academy where he graduated as one of the top 3 in his class. On his way to his first post in Missouri, he was told to report to the Pentagon for a top-secret mission (he was one of the few with top secret clearance- the highest level). He and his men provided information key to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and he received 2 Presidential Commendations of Honor: the 1st from John F Kennedy himself and the 2nd- from President Johnson.

Tom then went on to Whiteman Air Force Base, as a full officer still with top secret clearance. He and his men worked 24-hour shifts in bunkers as part of the Minute Man missile program. Tom’s first daughter, Karen, was born in Missouri. The Air Force had plans for Tom to rise in their ranks and move on to new positions, but he had decided he desired a different life: that of a teacher, and so he did: English Literature and Mythology.

Tom took his family to Chapel Hill, NC to study and receive his master’s and PhD in English, hoping to remain in Chapel Hill. After 1 year in Jacksonville, FL, he moved his family to Laurinburg, NC where he began to teach English Literature at University of NC at Pembroke, later becoming Dean.

Dr. Leach served on the faculty at UNC-P from 1975-2007 and held the position of Chairman of the Communicative Arts Division for many of those years, and then serving as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2003 until his retirement in 2007. He loved his work, loved meeting people and was instrumental in many programs that have led to UNC-P’s many advancements in the academic world. I’m told he was a wonderful teacher as well as a great storyteller. Earlier in his tenure at Pembroke, he was asked to come to Japan to read a paper that he had published on education. After retirement, he served as Vice Chancellor in Turin, Italy for a year at the request of a former Chancellor from UNC-P.

During his lifetime, Tom enjoyed many hobbies, especially swimming, reading and backpacking. He also followed the lives of his daughters and grandchildren, and his extended family keenly and was always excited to hear about their great accomplishments.

It is safe to say he travelled the world over, at least once, and many places more than once. His passion for backpacking took him to many places, including Appalachian Trail, Switzerland, Wales and Iceland. Later, he traveled with family and friends to many countries including India, Japan, Africa, and most of Europe. He made sure to visit Ireland, as his family came from Ireland 3 generations before him. He was an avid storyteller, and his family and friends often asked for “more stories.” He was well loved and well respected. He is missed already by his family and friends.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Scotia Village in the MMEC (Morris Morgan Room) on March 29, 2025, at 3:00 pm. Everyone is invited to attend. The family looks forward to meeting more of his Scotia friends and anticipates some wonderful family friends who plan to travel to be with us as well. Each person will have a chance to share a favorite memory. There will also be a table with many pictures (please bring any you may have to share) and a slide show of favorite pictures. Reception to follow. 

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