Beloved wife of H. Warren Leitch for 68 years, devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Beverly Ann Leitch died March 5, 2024 in Port Townsend surrounded by her husband and family after a long life filled with love. The oldest daughter of Edith (McGinnis) Balch, Bev was a true Seattle native raised in View Ridge, a neighborhood built by her developer father Albert S. Balch. She attended Bryant, Roosevelt High School and the University of Washington, where she was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority. Over the years, Bev and her family lived throughout Western Washington, including Wedgwood in Seattle, Lake Forest Park, Issaquah, and Bellevue before settling down in Port Townsend, where she would share many years with Warren, family, and friends in her beloved 1883 cottage built by the Plummers.
Bev is preceded in death by her parents Edith and Albert, sisters Janet and Judy, and Brother Bert. She is survived by her loving husband Warren and her four sons John (Leslie-deceased), David (Susan), Tom (Tamara) and Charles (Amy). She especially loved being “Baba” to her grandchildren Brian, Darren (Kelli), Stuart (Molly), Patrick (Sara), Ian, Alex, Hiwot, Alayna and Colton, and her great-grandchildren Jake, Warren, Yisak, Yosuf, Auri, and Ford.
Bev will be remembered for her kindness and encouragement. She was busy most of her life contributing her skills and good humor to activities and people. Passionate about horticulture, Bev was a Master Gardener and sought after speaker on gardens. She loved traveling around the world seeking out gardens, particularly many trips with Warren to the United Kingdom. A voracious reader, she loved books, magazines, and newspapers. Her stacks of clippings gathered for family, friends and just-met acquaintances were the stuff of legend and a testament to her thoughtfulness towards others. She was proud of her diverse family history and of how her own family was adding to long family lines and lore. Among her many memberships in later years, she especially enjoyed the Washington Arboretum, N.H.S., Chapter FF PEO, her book club, St. Paul Episcopal Church of Port Townsend, The Pioneer Association of Washington and The Balch House Society in Beverly, Massachusetts.
With her love of reading, Bev asked for any remembrances to be directed to the local library of your choice.
