Leila Dickey Ritch, longtime parishioner at St. Mary of the Angels, Orlando, celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends on March 19, 2015. Leila was born and raised in Auburndale, Florida, and is proud to call St. Alban’s the church where she was baptized and nurtured in the faith.
Mrs. Ritch with Fr. Andrew Petiprin, Rector of St. Mary of the Angels, Orlando
She attended Florida State College for Women after graduation from high school in Auburndale. In 1956 Leila married Major R.T. Ritch in Arlington, Virginia and they honeymooned in Havana, Cuba. Her professional career included work at the Air Force Headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany and also at the Pentagon. Leila and her husband moved to Orlando in 1965.
She is a member of the Orlando Museum of Art, Retired Officers Wives Club, and the Conway Garden Club, where she served as President and was awarded a lifetime membership to the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs.
A Proclamation was issued to Leila by Orange County Commissioner Pete Clarke and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, and the day was declared Leila Dickey Ritch Day. Leila is a proud and loyal Episcopalian who is part of the fabric of the Diocese of Central Florida.
-Elizabeth Ulbrich