…Tewksbury mother of seven; 78
TEWKSBURY - Elizabeth A. (Leach) Whitney, age 78, died Saturday morning, October 27, after a lengthy illness. She was the beloved wife of Leander T. Whitney, who died in 1983.
She was born in Waltham, October 10, 1934, one of fifteen children of the late Raymond C. and Helen (Gallagher) Leach. She was raised in Waltham and Charlestown, but had lived in Tewksbury since 1970. As a resident of Tewksbury, she was a communicant of St. William’s Church, and was a member of Tewksbury’s Interfaith Choir. She was the founder and owner of a furniture stripping and refinishing company.
She is survived by seven children; Thomas Whitney and his wife Sheryl of Billerica, Lee Ann Whitney of Lowell, Ted Whitney and his wife Ann of Tewksbury, Karen Pistolis and her husband Louis of Acton, Donna Whitney of Chicago, Cindy Sullivan and her husband Michael of Billerica, and David Whitney of Andover, eleven grandchildren, four great grandchildren, a sister Genevieve of Plymouth, and four brothers, Raymond Leach of ME, Ray Leach of Waltham, Peter Leach of West Roxbury, Jimmy Leach of FL, and numerous nieces, nephews and her beloved dog Lucy. She was the sister of the late Louise Burns, Leo Leach, Helena Collum, Joey Leach, Jackie Leach, Frankie Leach, Mary Jane Ferguson, Kathleen Munroe, and Bobby Leach.
Her Funeral Mass was celebrated Friday, November 2, in St. William’s Church, Tewksbury. Burial followed in the Tewksbury Cemetery. Memorials to the Alzheimer’s Association, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472, D’Youville Senior Care, 981 Varnum Ave., Lowell, MA 01854, Merrimack Valley V.N.A. Hospice, 360 Merrimack St., Bldg. 9, Lawrence, MA 01843