HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 22
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Thompson, and Delegates Morgan and Craig
)
Celebrating the life and lamenting the death of Margarette Riggins
Leach, former member of the House of Delegates from the County
of Cabell, longtime community leader, advocate, public
servant, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, and a great
asset to her community, State and country.
Margarette Riggins Leach was born to Jason and Lula Riggins on
December 4, 1926, in Goodwill, Mercer County. She attended the
public schools and graduated from Beaver High School in 1944.
Enamored with the idea of service to others, Margarette pursued an
early career in nursing, graduating from St. Mary's School of
Nursing in 1948. This early vocation stayed with her all of her
life, and she became a nurse dedicated to improving the health of
all West Virginians.
She was married to Thomas H. Leach for fifty-eight years, and
they were the proud parents of two children, Timothy G. Leach of
Huntington, and Peggy Joffe of St. Petersburg, Florida, who survive
her. She is also survived by a brother and sister-in-law, Jason and Dot Riggins of Chapmanville, two grandchildren, two great
grandchildren and many beloved nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and
grand-nephews.
Her public service spanned nearly sixty years, and that same
vocation and focus of purpose stayed in the forefront of her view
as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates for fourteen
years. Margarette was an absolutely stalwart Democrat, and she was
first elected to the House in 1992, and was subsequently reelected
in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004, and she quickly rose to
a position of influence after being elected in 1998.
Her training and nature made her particularly concerned with
health issues, and she sponsored, supported and helped create many
programs which provided health care assistance to those without
access, including the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIPS).
Near the end of her time with us, she was particularly honored to
receive the Leadership Award from the Rural Health Association and
to have the Prestera Center for Youth and Families named for her.
Margarette Leach's life revolved around service to her
community, whether as a Cub Scout Leader, a nurse or a policy-
maker. She was Pack Leader to former Speaker of the House and now
Federal Judge Chuck Chambers when he was 8 or 9 years old, as he
recalls. As a founder and leader in the Democratic Women's Club,
she helped guide him into public office.
A colleague noted that "she never dodged a debate where her personal beliefs or the welfare of children or her district was
involved. Foster care and the delivery of medical services to all
children were primary interests, and she waded into any discussion
on those issues with a ferocious resolve other legislators could
not match."
For all the tenacity in the Legislature, there was another
side to Margarette Leach. She was an avid supporter of all things
Marshall University, both athletic and academic. According to
another colleague, her collection of Marshall memorabilia was
enormous, and if an item was green and white or said "Marshall" on
it, she had to have it. Her home was also noted as being "six
rooms of Christmas" and spectacular during the Christmas holidays.
In every aspect of life, Margarette Leach juggled each and
succeeded in reaching her goals, and it is the resolved sense of
this House of Delegates that the life and death of Margaret Riggins
Leach must not go unnoticed; therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Delegates, the members solemnly
assembled:
That the House of Delegates hereby notes the extraordinary and
exemplary life of Margarette Riggins Leach, community leader,
advocate, and public servant, whose unique talents touched many
lives; a woman who loved her family and her beloved Cabell County
and West Virginia; that this House collectively rejoices in
proclaiming her many accomplishments while solemnly noting her demise, and hereby enrolls her life in the history of the
Legislature of West Virginia; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates
prepare certified copies of this resolution for her surviving
husband, Tom; for her son, Tim Leach and his wife, Vickie; and for
her daughter, Margaret Joffe and her husband, David; for the Dean
of St. Mary's School of Nursing, the principal of Beaver High
School, the President of the West Virginia Rural Health Association
and the Chief Executive Officer of the Prestera Center.