Gordon Leach Sr.

David Gordon Leach, a true outdoorsman, passed away September 11, 2023 in Peoria, AZ. Gordon was an only child born to Ethel and David Leach in San Rafael, California on May 4, 1931. He grew up in Marin County, California and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1953 with a degree in Business Administration. After college, Gordon worked in San Francisco as a real estate appraiser with the Commercial Mortgage Department of Equitable Life Assurance Society of the U.S. He transferred with the company to Phoenix in 1957 and worked for Equitable for over thirty years, much to his surprise. In 1983, Gordon opened his own business - Leach Financial Corporation - where he worked with his two oldest sons, Steve and Matt, until retiring to Lake Tahoe, California in 1996 and where he resided until 2021.
Gordon always regarded his professional career as second in importance to his family and the fun activities he enjoyed with them. After his first Lake Powell trip with friends in the late 1950's, Gordon discovered a new activity for the family boating. Weekly boat trips ensued at the local lakes, and included water skiing, sledding, barbecues and entertaining family and friends. Annual trips to Lake Powell, Lake Mead and San Carlos, Mexico were also favorites. Gordon's love for the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which he discovered as a teenager, led to annual family backpacking trips on the 211-mile John Muir Trail, which he completed twice; once as a teen and again with several of his children over a several-year span. Summers were also spent with family in Lake Tahoe, where Gordon boated until age 90. He was also an avid snow skier, traveling with his family to various resorts in Arizona, Utah, Colorado and throughout northern California, and enjoyed the sport well into his 80's. Such was his love of the Sierra's, he was gifted a book on his 50th birthday, where the custom cover was entitled 'How to Run a Successful Arizona Business from Lake Tahoe.'
Gordon married Helen Pedersen in 1952 and had four children. He married Patricia Predaina in 1973 and had two sons. He shared his later years, love and adventures with Winifred Smith. He is survived by his six children: Catherine Collier, Stephen Leach (Jacquie), Matthew Leach (Kim), Virginia Schmitt (Tim), David Leach Jr. (Lindsay) and Marc Leach (Tricia). He felt blessed for having 18 grandchildren: Adam and Christine Collier; Nicole and Brandon Leach; Amanda, Spencer, Christian, Ann and Henry Leach; Michael, Julia and James Schmitt; David III, Lauren and Max Leach; and Victoria, Carson and Caleb Leach. Gordon is also survived by 14 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by granddaughter Nicole and son-in-law, Doug.
A private service will be held and Gordon's ashes will be interred next to his parents in California. Gordon's family wishes to thank the amazing team members in the memory care division at Orchard Pointe at Terrazza and at United Hospice & Palliative Care of Arizona. Gordon asked that in lieu of gifting flowers in his memory, please consider a donation to a favorite charity.