Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Leata May Reynolds was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1910, to John and Ada Reynolds. She had nine siblings. As the oldest daughter in the family, she helped to raise her younger siblings. Leata had an inborn ability to be a natural caretaker as her grandmother influenced her values. As a child, she learned to sing "Jesus Loves Me" in Chinese from neighbors. It was a song she would remember for many decades. Growing up, Leata loved sports and by the time she was in the eighth grade, she jumped hurdles in track and field. Outside of school, she enjoyed listening to music and loved to dance. Throughout her life, Leata was self-taught, as she loved to read about current events in newspapers and books. In 1925, while at the circus, she met Earl Lindsay. They became best friends and enjoyed spending time together. Earl proposed to her on Valentine's Day 1926 and they married in May of that year. Earl was very supportive of Leata's interests. He took her dancing, even though he didn't dance and he was very affectionate. In the years to come, Leata and Earl welcomed three beautiful children into the world: William, Robert and Patricia.

During the Great Depression, Leata and Earl were enterprising in earning money, as they always found a way to provide for the family. Leata and Earl made small meat pies with homemade crust or soup from scratch as they sold the food to snow removal workers for income. They rented a food stand out in the country and operated it for a summer. Earl also sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door and did carpentry in the neighborhood. Earl and Bob went to construction sites or to ballparks to sell bottles of pop. Inspired by their parents, Bill and Bob learned to work at a young age by delivering newspapers or working at the grocery store to earn their own spending money.

In 1942, Earl volunteered to go to Pearl Harbor to repair damaged Navy vessels. While Earl worked in Hawaii from 1942 to 1944, Leata worked at a large Detroit bakery. It was challenging raising teenagers while Earl was helping in the war, but Leata was a strong woman. She wrote many letters to Earl while he was in Hawaii. Never complaining, she took care of their children at home. In fact, she was very supportive and protective of her children. Bill and Bob played softball and Leata attended all of their games. Meanwhile, Pat took dancing lessons. Pursuing new job opportunities after the war, the family moved to California in 1945. The family first lived in Long Beach. Their son, Bill, voluntarily joined the Navy, serving from 1944 to 1946. While Bill was serving in the Navy, the entire family wrote supportive letters to him, which he saved. Bob voluntarily joined the Marine Corps, where he also served the United States for two years. All the while, Leata sent him handwritten letters as well. While in Long Beach, Leata worked at the fish cannery as a packer. Leata and Earl moved to Upland and they later oversaw construction of their wonderful home in Ontario. Leata went through training to work in a nursing position for 13 years as a Psychiatric Technician at Pacific State Hospital in Pomona, where she cared for children with brain injuries.

Leata was intelligent and caring with everyone. She welcomed family for the holidays, as she liked decorating the home for Christmas. She was an excellent cook who was known for her delicious homemade rolls. She enjoyed making little individual Jell-O cups for the grandchildren. Leata and Earl became world travelers as they went to London, Paris, Greece, Rome and also places such as India and Guam. Hawaii became a regular destination as the couple visited all of the Hawaiian Islands. They also enjoyed trips together locally to the horse races, Las Vegas and Laughlin. For many years, Leata met with her children in Laughlin for mini-family reunions. Leata enjoyed sharing stories about her incredible vacations with family.

She had many favorites in life. Leata loved the sunny weather and enjoyed gardening. Her favorite flowers were roses and her favorite color was turquoise. Leata raised toy poodles, as she loved little dogs. She loved jazz music and songs by Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra and Kenny Rogers. Her favorite songs included: "Rum & Coca-Cola" by the Andrews Sisters, "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers, "The Lord's Prayer" by Barbra Streisand and the classical "Clair de Lune." Her favorite restaurant was The Magic Lamp and sometimes she enjoyed Manhattans, Jack Daniels Whiskey or something more exotic such as Strawberry Daiquiris. Her favorite sports teams were the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Lakers. On TV, she occasionally watched football and loved watching golf tournaments. Her favorite television shows included: The Young and the Restless, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. She was always pleased when she knew the final answer on Jeopardy.

Leata learned to drive at the age of 51, showing that it's never too late to learn. At home in Ontario, she liked sharing avocados with friends and relatives or selling them for extra spending money. That extra money was sometimes spent in Las Vegas, where Leata was the luckiest person. She once won more than $1,000 by putting a few coins in a machine. She had a strong will to live combined with an extremely independent streak. Leata had a wonderful sense of humor and quick wit. She was very interested in politics and had definite views. With a love of animals, she cared for a couple of feral cats in her backyard, feeding them every day. A big family celebration was held for Leata's 90th birthday at Bob's house. She really enjoyed the party. Her family is grateful that she was able to live in her own home until her 98th year. In the end, she was surrounded by family.

Leata was preceded in death by her grandson, Roy; husband, Earl; son, Bill, and son-in-law Tom. She is remembered by her son Bob and his wife Marimartha; daughter Patricia; 11 grandchildren Shauna, Matt, Andrea, Denise, Glenna, Rob, Carrie, Laurie, Rex, Guy and Jeff; 25 great-grandchildren Anisha, Brett, Matt, Kelsey, Kailyn, Brynne, Taryne, Devin, Lauren, twins Luke and Wyatt, Jennifer, Joanna, Susan, Paul, Michelle, Shauna, Rachel, David, Sarah, Jeanne, Heather, Spencer, Trent and Landon; 5 great-great-grandchildren Hayden, Mikala, Melissa, Matthew and Dimetrius; caretaker Juana and hairdresser Marylou.

Leata Lindsay will be remembered as fiercely independent, supportive and caring. Pat will miss being able to talk to her on the phone, hearing her mother's voice. Bob will miss talking about politics, sports, health issues and Jeopardy. Her grandchildren will miss her unique chuckle and special visits. Her advice would be for family to take care of each other. Memorial donations are welcome to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) or to an organization of your choice.