Delight Leas

January 2, 1922 – May 3, 2023

Delight Morrison Leas, 101, departed Moses Lake on May 3, 2023, bound for her next adventure in Heaven. She had resided for the last three years under the care of the excellent staff at Faith Larkin Home Care. She ate well, studied the birds and squirrels, solved puzzles, listened to music and enjoyed the watercraft on the lake all from the dining room at Faith Larkin.

Born on Jan. 2, 1922, to Harry and Blanche (Koehler) Morrison, she was the fourth of five children and grew up in Greenville, Ohio. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in beauty school and Miami University (Ohio) before enlisting in the Army of the U.S. She served as a clerk typist, finance clerk and telephone operator assigned to San Francisco, London, and Paris. Dee earned her sergeant’s stripes and the American Service, Good Conduct, European-African-Middle Eastern, and World War II Victory medals. After the war, she trained French women to operate the telephone switchboards before U.S. forces left France. The Army honorably discharged her in 1945.

Subsequently, she married Air Force pilot Harry Leas and settled into the role of an officer’s wife, traveling to many stations, including Hawaii, Alaska, Wisconsin, South Carolina and Germany until husband Harry retired in 1962.

Widowed in 1965, Dee indulged herself with travel. She worked numerous jobs to save enough money to take a tour overseas each year. By the end of her travels, she had visited more than 100 countries and every continent except Antarctica.

When at home, Dee hand-painted china and oils, and hand-sewed numerous quilts that earned prizes at county fairs in Georgia, Minnesota and Washington. She loved animals and always had cats.

She is survived by her son Terrence and his wife Loyal; granddaughters Meredith and her husband Chris Whited and Amber and her husband Nick Parker; four great-grandchildren Sadie Whited, Danny Whited, Logan Parker and Felicity Parker; nieces Sheryl (Morrison) Gartner and Susan (Schwalb) Hendricks; nephew Charles Schwalb and numerous extended family.

There will be no public service, per Dee’s stipulation. The family will celebrate her life in a private ceremony later this summer.