Pamela S Leschber

Beloved wife, Mom, Granny, sister, teacher, singer, servant, friend, and faithful follower of Jesus Christ, Pam Leschber (Pamela Sue Odom maiden name) went home to be with her Lord peacefully in her sleep on the morning of August 19, 2026, following an almost two-year battle with cancer. She was 76 years old.

To most of the world she was Pam or Pamie or Pamela Sue. To her grandchildren and so many others, she was Granny.

To Trish & I, she was simply Mom.

Mom was born April 27, 1950, and grew up in the Houston area, graduating from Deer Park High School. She continued her education at San Jacinto Junior College and Stephen F. Austin State University before graduating from the University of Houston in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science in Education and a focus in music.

And what a voice she had.

Mom possessed an angelic singing voice that could have taken her all over the world and perhaps even brought her fame.

Instead, she accepted a blind date with a young Fightin’ Farmer named Larry Leschber.

We think she made the right choice.

That blind date became a romance spanning more than five decades.

Mom and Dad were married for 52 years, building their life together on our family farm in Hutto, Texas—the home of the Hustling Hippos. There, Mom became a farm wife, mother, educator, community servant, prayer warrior, fierce advocate, and eventually the woman known simply and affectionately by generations of family and friends as Granny.

Education was never merely Mom’s profession. Teaching was woven into who she was.

At one time, Mom served as Hutto’s only kindergarten teacher, helping shape the lives of children during a much smaller chapter in our community’s history.

But retirement from the classroom never meant retirement from children.

Mom volunteered in schools, read to classrooms, encouraged teachers, and invested in students across generations.

One teacher later wrote to her:

“Words can’t express my thanks to you for reading to my class all these years. Your wisdom and love for reading that you have shared with my students is priceless.”

That word—priceless—describes so much of what Mom gave away freely throughout her life.

Her time.

Her voice.

Her prayers.

Her encouragement.

Her presence.

Mom’s remarkable voice became one of the ways she served both God and her community.

She sang at more weddings, funerals, churches, and community gatherings than our family could possibly count. She also had the joy of singing our National Anthem at the Dell Diamond at least five times.

Yet for Mom, singing was never merely performance.

It was ministry.

Whether standing before a crowd, celebrating a marriage, leading people in worship, or standing beside a grieving family, she used the gift God had given her to encourage, celebrate, comfort, and worship.

The voice that could have taken her around the world instead became a gift she poured into the people God placed right in front of her.

Mom believed deeply in showing up.

She served our community through countless organizations and causes, including the Hutto Women’s Alliance, which honored her as its 2021 Volunteer of the Year.

Then, in 2023, Mom was named Volunteer of the Year at Ray Elementary School, where her granddaughter Eva, now a fifth grader, attends school.

Mom had logged nearly 100 volunteer hours that year.

And in classic Mom fashion, after receiving the award, she didn’t spend much time talking about the nearly 100 hours she had given.

She lamented the one or two weeks she had missed!

That was Mom.

There was always another child to encourage, another person to check on, another place to serve, another opportunity to show up.

She sang with the Round Rock choir, volunteered in local schools, supported community causes, served families and friends, and continually found ways to help wherever help was needed.

Mom also grafted quite naturally into the Texas A&M family alongside her beloved Class of ’72 husband. She became not only an Aggie Mom, but also served as president of the local Aggie Moms chapter and as an active member of the Council for Agricultural Development for Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture.

Together, Mom and Dad established an honorary endowment at Texas A&M in memory of their grandson, Ezra Arnold Leschber, extending our family’s love for Ezzy and his legacy into future generations.

Perhaps one of the clearest pictures of Mom’s life can be found in something remarkably ordinary:

her calendar.

One glance at its pages tells the story.

Nearly every available space was covered with names, appointments, birthdays, prayer reminders, church activities, community events, people to visit, people to call, things to deliver, celebrations, concerns, Scripture, and handwritten notes.

Her calendars were not merely records of where Mom needed to be.

They were records of whom Mom loved.

She was constantly reaching out to others—praying with them, crying with them, laughing with them, checking on them, remembering their important days, and celebrating their victories.

Most everyone left Mom’s presence feeling seen, heard, uplifted, and with just a bit more pep in their step and a smile on their face.

And the others?

Well, sometimes they met Momma Bear.

Because while Mom loved generously, she also loved fiercely.

You just never, ever, ever, never messed with one of her cubs!

And Mom had cubs all over this wide, wide world.

G2G!

Most importantly, at the center of Mom’s life was her faith in Jesus Christ.

She was a longtime member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in West Taylor, where she faithfully served for many years, including many years of service on the church board. She was also a charter member of another congregation and remained deeply involved in the life of the Church throughout her years.

Her faith was never confined to Sunday mornings.

It appeared in her calendar.

It appeared in her friendships.

It appeared beside hospital beds.

It appeared in classrooms.

It appeared in songs.

It appeared in her garden.

It appeared in handwritten Scripture verses and reminders to pray.

It appeared in the way she loved people.

Mom believed in Jesus.

Mom followed Jesus.

Mom served His people.

And Mom trusted the promise that death does not have the final word.

Mom is survived by her beloved husband of 52 years, Larry Leschber.

She is survived by me, her son, Rev. Christopher Leschber, my wife, Dr. Tiffany Leschber, and our children, Mom’s grandchildren: Jaxson Wayne, Landon Edward , Eva Allen, and Hildy Sue Leschber.

She is also survived by her daughter and best of the best friends Trish Hernandez, FNP, her husband, Pete Hernandez, and her grandchildren Daven Niguel Nagel and Sonya Eres Hernandez.

Mom is further survived by her sister, Janis Jackson of Waco; her beloved nieces and nephews; and extended family members, spiritual family, former students, fellow servants, and dear friends.

Mom was preceded in death by her beloved grandson, Ezra Arnold Leschber; her youngest sister, Karrell Ann Lynch; and her parents, Harrell and Patricia Odom.

Mom was diagnosed with cancer on September 5, 2024.

Without initially realizing the significance of the date, our family chose September 5, 2026 as the target date to gather and celebrate her life.

Exactly two years later.

And September 5 is also National Hummingbird Day.

Those who loved Mom know why that feels especially fitting.

If you see a butterfly, a hummingbird, or something purple—think of her.

Think of a woman who found beauty in the small things.

Think of that unmistakable smile.

Think of that angelic voice.

Think of a teacher surrounded by children.

Think of a farm wife beside the man she loved for more than half a century.

Think of a calendar overflowing with the names of people she refused to forget.

Think of a mother and Granny who loved her family fiercely.

Think of a servant who just kept showing up.

And think of a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ who has now finished her race, kept the Faith and has gone Home.

Our family grieves deeply because we loved Mom deeply.

But we grieve with hope.

As one of my brothers beautifully expressed on the morning of her passing:

“Pam, go find Ezzy and we’ll see you soon.”

Absent from the body, present with the Lord.

Mom is Home.

And we have come to know there will be a day when we will be with her for longer than we are apart.

G2G!, Granny,

Glory to God! See you soon, Mom.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites those wishing to honor Pam’s life and legacy to make a memorial gift to one of two or both organizations close to her heart: Romans12two Ministries, her son’s ministry dedicated to healing families through Christian discipleship, or the Arbor Day Foundation’s Trees in Memory program, where trees may be planted in Pam’s memory as a living tribute to a life so beautifully and generously lived.

Memorial Gifts

Romans12two Ministries — Give in Memory of Pam⁠

https://www.romans12two.org/donate

Arbor Day Foundation — Trees in Memory⁠

https://shop.arborday.org/commemorative-trees-for-others