Anthony Blaine Leitch was born in Oakland, California on May 23, 1957. The second child of William and Betty, Tony was the brother of Belinda, Lauri, and Mary. He graduated from Oak Harbor High School on Whidbey Island in 1975. In 1978 he married Carol Berner. Together they raised three children: Kristi Leitch (Jason Deehan), Stacey Miller (Kristian), and Andrew Leitch. He modeled what it meant to be married through “good times and bad” when Carol was diagnosed in 1992 with multiple sclerosis. Tony was her primary caregiver until 2011, when Carol passed away. One of Tony’s proudest roles was that of grandfather to Ava, Charlie, Sam, Carter, Beatrice, Conor and Sinead.
Tony founded The Closet Guys of Marysville and Spokane, Washington in 1994. He was an active and devout parishioner of Immaculate Conception in Arlington. There, he became a member of the Knights of Columbus and took on the role of Parish Council President. Tony was a huge fan of the Seattle Mariners, the Seahawks, and the Supersonics. He also loved music, fishing, and camping.
Tony Leitch will be fondly remembered by so many as a focused listener, a wise counselor, a generous giver, a silly trickster, a spiritual believer, and a serial hugger. He passed away on June 17, 2018 from complications with cancer at Providence Hospital in Everett, WA.
