SHERBORN: Dwight Paul Leitch, Ph.D, age 76, a longtime Sherborn resident, died at South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth after becoming ill during rehab for a broken hip. He was the devoted husband of the late Virginia Linkus Leitch and Carol Witham Leitch.
Born and raised in Lewiston, Idaho, he was the son of the late Dwight W. and Elenora (Pahl) Leitch. His family moved to Spokane, WA, where Paul graduated high school and continued his education at Whitworth University. He went on to Purdue University where he completed his Master’s Degree and earned a Ph.D. in Industrial Psychology.
Paul made his way east to teach at Harvard Business School. While there he met Carol, married, and they moved to the MetroWest area. They settled in Sherborn in 1974, and the following year Paul became employed with the US Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick, also known as Natick Labs. For the next 30 years, Paul worked as an analyst, traveling the world while testing and evaluating various systems. He even continued his extensive travels after retirement and revisited many countries.
Carol died while their son Carey was in his early teens, and father and son became even closer in the following years. A member of the Millis Model Aircraft Club, Paul was designing, building, and flying planes at about the time Carey became a model railroad enthusiast. The two spent countless hours together working on their projects.
Paul was an active member of the Sherborn community, serving at different times in various capacities, the most prominent of them being a 30-year member of the town’s Traffic Safety Committee. He served as a deacon, youth advisor, and was a longtime member of the bell choir at Pilgrim Church. Paul was a Sherborn Lion, a Mason in Mount Hollis Lodge A.F.&A.M. Holliston, MA and a member of the Sherborn Council on Aging Committee. Paul had remarried and he and his wife, Virginia were great country couples dancers. He joined the Down East Dancers who met at Moseley’s in Dedham, and for a time served as its president.
Predeceased by Virginia, he is survived by Carey and his wife Michelle of Upton, and grandchildren, Charlotte and Mason.
A Memorial Service will be held in the Pilgrim Church, United Church of Christ, 25 South Main Street, (Rte 27) Sherborn, on Saturday, December 6th at 1 PM. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Paul’s memory to Mass Lions Eye Research, c/o Sherborn Lions Club, Nancy Close, 288 Dover Rd, Westwood, MA 02090, or the Sherborn Council on Aging, 19 Washington St., Sherborn, MA 01770.