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Betty Jean Leach, 91, of Essex, the daughter of the late Frank and Ella Sulentich, passed away Nov. 3 surrounded by her loving family at Gladeview Rehab in Old Saybrook. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, July 23, 1928. There was a private family ceremony at Trinity Lutheran in Centerbrook. The date and time of a later celebration of her life will be posted.

Her two daughters, Debra Lee and her husband Thomas Lee of Essex and Karen Sconzo and her husband Denis Sconzo of White Plains, New York, and son Robert Leach of Tulsa, Oklahoma, survive her. She is also survived by grandchildren Celeste, Melissa, Destiny, Gareth, Rachel, and Lexy; and seven great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by son Calvin Leach in 1984.

She grew up in Belleville, Illinois. After graduation, she moved to San Diego, California, where she married Calvin L. Leach in 1948. Her husband was in the armed forces and the family lived in various places, including Scott AFB, Illinois, Tripoli, Africa, Germany, Roswell, New Mexico, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Biloxi, Mississippi, Orlando, Florida, and Caseville, Michigan. She and her husband divorced in 1970. She moved to Texas in 1986 for a job as housing and billeting manager at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth. After her retirement in 2001, she moved to Connecticut to be close to her daughters. She loved her family and grandchildren.

She had many talents, including ceramics, sewing, painting, and drawing. She also loved to dance and go to outdoor music concerts in the summer. Her laugh was contagious to all those around her. She found humor in everyday situations. She was a free-spirited person and when she had an idea, you could not hold her back. If you ever were in her presence just once, you would not forget her bigger than life personality.

The Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Home, 48 Grand St., Niantic, assisted the family with the cremation services.