Thelma K. Leinbach

Thelma Keech Leinbach passed away peacefully on June 19, 2026 at the age of 95.

She is predeceased by her husband of sixty-eight years, Richard; as well as her parents, Daisy and Irving Keech.

Thelma is from Hudson Falls, NY. She came to Rochester to attend nursing school at the University of Rochester where she acquired her RN and BS degrees. She later earned her MS in Child Health Nursing from the University of Buffalo.

She held many nursing positions in administration, teaching and public health including Camp Nurse, Public Health Nurse and School Nurse Teacher. Some of her proudest accomplishments were writing a Curriculum for a Nanny School, designing the Urban/Suburban School Health Program in Webster and initiating a Day Treatment Health Program for Developmentally Delayed Adults in Fairport. She also taught Pediatric Nursing at Alfred University, working with nurses and children at St Mary’s Hospital in Rochester.

Thelma met her future husband Richard Leinbach in 1954 at Young Adult Fellowship. They became members of Third Presbyterian Church where she later taught in the nursery school and he served as an elder. They were also active in social justice through groups such as Friends of Fight (later renamed Metro Act).

Thelma enjoyed gardening and flower arranging and was a charter member of the Landing Rock Garden Club. She and Dick shared interest in bird watching, traveling, sailing at the Canandaigua Yacht Club and being near the lake or the ocean. She had a lively sense of humor, which often brought a smile to her friends and family.

Thelma and Dick traveled to Germany, England and France when Dick worked at Kodak. When the children were in middle school they took a five week camping trip to Paris and throughout Italy. Further travels together included a safari to Kenya and Tanzania, sailing in Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, cruises to Alaska and along the Mississippi on the Delta Queen.

She is survived by her children, Deborah (Thomas Mongeau) Leinbach, Judith Leinbach & Peter (Rita Mares) Leinbach; grandchildren, Sarah (Martin) Glazer, Claire (Travis Pow) Walker, Isaac (Samantha) Walker, Amelia Leinbach & Eva Leinbach; great-grandchildren, Eliza Walker, Max Walker, and Oak Pow; brother-in-law, Donald (Lyris) Leinbach & their children, Alain & Jared; niece and nephew, Paul Leinbach & Lana Yaney.

Thelma will be remembered for her dedication to others, her joy in the simple pleasures of life, and the love she showed to her family and her community. Her presence will be dearly missed and her legacy cherished by those who knew her.

Services will be held at the convenience of the family.