Leila Ann Reich

Leila Ann Reich

Artist, writer, adventurer, iconoclast, lover of life

"I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life."

- Henry David Thoreau

"We have many small renaissances throughout our lives."

- Leila Ann Reich

It is with heavy hearts that we mark the passing of Leila Ann Reich (n?e Robin) on July 19, 2023, at the age of 95. She died peacefully at home of natural causes three weeks shy of her 96th birthday.

Beloved daughter of the late Louis and Sarah Robin; sister of the late Ethel (Ezra) Gerberg, Juliet Siegel, and Murray (Phyllis) Robin; and widow of the late Morton Reich, Leila is survived by her children Scott (Julia) Reich and Susan Reich; grandchildren Matthew (Meggan) Dahlgren, Andrea (David) Diamond, Jennifer Benedict, and Justin Thomas; and great-grandchildren Breck Dahlgren, Grace Dahlgren, Samuel Benedict, and Gabriel Diamond. In her last years, she was cared for with great compassion, dedication, gentleness, and love by her caregiver, companion, and friend Enriquita (Kitty) Guantero. We will be forever indebted to Kitty for her love, friendship, generosity of spirit, and care for our entire family.

During her journey through this world, Leila lived large. In New York City as a young adult, she marched alongside fellow civil rights activists, frequented Harlem's jazz clubs and immersed herself in the city's art and literary scenes. Never one to be constrained by the rules, she defied her parents' wishes one winter weekend, climbed out of her bedroom window and took off for a ski weekend with friends, returning home with a broken leg and a plaster cast from ankle to thigh.

This act of youthful rebellion would be life-changing. As she juggled crutches and textbooks while walking to class on the Queen's College campus, a tall, handsome Marine studying on the GI Bill offered his assistance. As he carried her books, they walked and talked, and what began with a small act of gallantry blossomed into love. They were married on June 18, 1950.

During the Korean War, Mort (once a Marine, always a Marine) re-upped. He was deployed with his new wife to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where their son, Scott, was born in 1951. In 1956, the family moved to the Chicago area, where Susan was born in 1957. Although the move to Park Forest was a bit of a culture shock for Leila, she quickly cultivated a new circle of artists, writers, intellectuals and political activists, continued to agitate for change in local and national politics, and engaged in myriad cultural and creative pursuits.

As president of the South Cook Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), she traveled to the nation's capital as part of a delegation of 100 Jewish lay leaders to urge legislators to support Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967. Always progressive, always curious about the world, always creative, she participated in village planning, wrote copy and plays for NCJW, fired pottery in her kiln, and raised her children with wisdom, humor and a fierce protectiveness.

As her children grew more self-sufficient, Leila channeled her creativity, energy and optimism into a highly successful second act as a sought-after residential interior designer. She was committed to creating beautiful, functional spaces that reflected her clients' dreams, personalities, and lifestyles. Her approach to the design process was warm, caring, nuanced, and insightful. Not surprisingly, her clients became repeat clients-and then lifelong friends.

As an empty nester, she served on the board of the Tall Grass Arts Association, using her many talents to expand the organization's reach to artists, children, seniors and economically and artistically underserved communities.

In the words of so many who knew her, she was "a force of nature." Dubbed "the happy-go-lucky one" by her father, she "dug into the marrow of life," to paraphrase Robert Frost, one of her favorite poets.

Leila never lost that youthful lust for life. Her favorite saying? "We have many small renaissances throughout our lives." At the age of 90, she said to her daughter: "I can't believe I'm this old; I still feel like a girl inside."

Our days were enriched by her vibrant spirit, wisdom and irreverent wit. Our lives have lost a bit of their luster with her passing, but we are quite sure that-somewhere and in some form-she is channeling that irrepressible life force into a third act.

We will stay tuned for her latest renaissance.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Leila's memory at https://www.hephzibahhome.org/donate-now/ to help neglected and abused children heal at Hephzibah Home.