Yulisse Hermione Leach, née Parkinson, was born in the little town of New Amsterdam, in the County of Berbice, Guyana, South America on November 21, 1921. The eldest of four girls, Levette (Pansy), Leila (Berle), and Ena, born to Cyril and Muriel Parkinson, she was nurtured in a loving, stable home, the recipient of solid academic training and stellar all-round instruction by her parents, particularly by her father who was a recognized and respected intellectual. She married Clifford Adolphus Leach in 1946. This marital union of forty eight years produced Michael, Adrian (Didi), Paulette (Pinky Chesney), Roger, and Jennifer (Bowen). She was blessed with nine grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and one great great grandchild. She and Clifford immigrated to the United States in 1980 and for the most part, lived with their daughter Jennifer in Brooklyn and later Atlanta. She is preceded in death by her husband, Clifford, her parents, and her sister Pansy.
