Marie McGee Leaf, a daughter of Irish immigrants and who served on the battlefields of Europe as an army nurse during World War II, died October 25, 2012 in Woodlawn following a brief illness. She was 96.
Mrs. Leaf served as a surgical nurse in the 35th Evacuation Hospital in Europe during World War II. Her unit, which cared for the wounded and dying in army field hospitals during the final year of the war, earned five battle stars for the following campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe.
Three weeks before D Day Mrs. Leaf married Carville Benson Leaf Sr., her fiancé from Baltimore, in Stone, England. Mr. Leaf was a member of the 110th Field Artillery Regiment of the 29th Division which was preparing for the D Day invasion. Mrs. Leaf landed at Omaha Beach about 2 weeks after the main invasion. She then served in France, Luxembourg, and Germany, before being discharged in Darmstadt, Germany a week before the formal German surrender of May 8, 1945.
Following the war, Mrs. Leaf settled with her family in Pikesville. Her husband worked for Bendix Field Engineering, which led to the family living in Anchorage, Alaska; Kailua, Hawaii; Fort Walton Beach, Florida; and Green River, Utah. In between assignments, the family returned to Pikesville. In 1965 the family settled in Lochearn community off Liberty Road. Mr. and Mrs. Leaf moved to Augsburg Lutheran Village in 2000. Mr. Leaf died in 2001.
Mrs. Leaf worked both as a private duty nurse in various hospitals and nursing homes, and as a staff nurse at the Veterans Hospital in Baltimore until 1993. In retirement, she enjoyed spending time with family and travel, including trips back to Ireland and England.
Marie Kathleen McGee was born January 13, 1916 in New York City. Her parents , Joseph J. McGee and Ellen Fitzpatrick McGee were immigrants from Ireland. Mrs. Leaf’s mother died when she was three years old. Her father sent Marie and her sister Rose to County Cavan, Ireland to be cared for by relatives, where they remained until 1930. Her father and brother moved to Baltimore. Mr. McGee remarried and died in 1929 before seeing his daughters again. Her stepmother, Annie McDevitt Burns McGee brought Mrs. Leaf and her sister back to America where they were reunited with their brother John and lived on Fulton Avenue in Baltimore City. Mrs. Leaf often told stories about walking to and from Lexington Market so that she could use her bus money to buy candy. She had a life long sweet tooth.
While working in the cafeteria at Saint Agnes Hospital, a nun encouraged Mrs. Leaf to study nursing and she became a RN in the late 1930’s before joining the war effort.
Mrs. Leaf was a member of St. Charles Parish in Pikesville for over 60 years. Her primary interests were family and faith.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Leaf was preceded in death by her brother John McGee and sister Rose Callahan as well as her beloved step siblings Frank, Dorothy, Evelyn, Mary and Mildred Burns.
Mrs. Leaf is survived by her five children: Barbara A. Stewart of Richmond, Virginia; Carville B. Leaf Jr. of Denton; Michael E. Leaf of Bel Air; Dennis A. Leaf of Dayton; and Virginia “Pat” Ritter of Finksburg. In addition, Mrs.Leaf is survived by thirteen grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
A mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Pikesville on Friday, November 2, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. A viewing will be held at Sterling Ashton Schwab Witzke Funeral Home of Catonsville, Inc.,1630 Edmondson Ave., Catonsville, MD 21228 on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Charles Borromeo Church, 101 Church Lane, Baltimore, Maryland 21208 or Augsburg Lutheran Home and Village, 6811 Campfield Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21207.
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