Leah Kalish Nekritz of Alexandria, VA, died at age 90 on February 10, 2023, following her nearly
2½ year battle with cancer. Leah was born in New York City on April 6, 1932 to the late Jacob
and Anna Kalish.
Growing up in Brooklyn, NY in her family’s house on Belmont Ave., Leah graduated from
Thomas Jefferson High School in 1949, and then studied at Brooklyn College (B.A. 1953). Leah
later went back to school to study library science at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. (MS
1963).
Leah met Richard through the siblings of mutual friends. Following her graduation from
Brooklyn College, Leah married Richard and joined him in Lincoln, NE, where he was finishing
graduate school and she started her working career in a department store. After Richard
completed his studies, they lived in several places in the Rockies, including Denver where son
Terry was born, before moving to Washington, D.C., where Jon was born. They moved to their
townhouse in Old Town Alexandria in 1978, where they lived nearly 43 years until November
2021. Leah loved living in Old Town and enjoyed her 3-mile ‘jogs’ along the Mt. Vernon Trail.
Leah had a long career with Prince George’s Community College. She started in 1961 as a
librarian when PGCC shared a high school campus, she became Director of Library Services in
1967, and later Dean of Learning Resources. She played a major role in the move of the
college from the shared setting to the brand-new Largo, MD, campus, with its own library. Leah
was active with the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research
Libraries, and several state and local library organizations. She retired from PGCC in 1995.
Leah, along with husband Richard, was well traveled. Europe was their primary destination,
with several trips to parts of Asia and North Africa. France and Italy were among her favorite
destinations. In their younger years, their travels were primarily on their own, exploring and
navigating the winding, aggressive roads, languages, and cuisines of the continent, while in
their later years of travel, they took it easy cruising the Rhine, Danube, Volga, and Nile Rivers.
Leah enjoyed painting in her spare time, along with cooking, reading, and just relaxing. In
recent years, Leah enjoyed sharing a Kir with her grandchildren when they visited.
Leah and Richard celebrated their 70th anniversary in 2022.
Leah was preceded in death by her husband Richard (d. 12/13/2022) and brother Dr. Paul
Kalish. She is survived by two sons, Terry (Joan) of Caledonia, MI, Jon (Debbie) of Frankfort,
IL, grandchildren Dr. Erin (Dr. Francois Bonnay) of Vienna, Austria, Alex (Emily) of Farmington
Hills, MI, Allison Pohl (Ryan) of Northville, MI, and Kyle of New York, NY, her sister-in-law Nina
Kalish of Montvale, NJ, and nephews Stephen (Grace) of Washington Township, NJ, Peter
(Kathy) of Wilmington, NC, David of Niwot, CO, and Chris of Elmsford, NY.
At Leah’s request, there will be no funeral or memorial service.
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