Kenneth A. Leach

Ken is survived by his daughter, Katherine (Grant Stark) Leach and son, Sullivan Burwell; siblings, Priscilla Leach, Susan (Paul) Madden, Donald (Jane) Leach Jr.; and a host of loving relatives and friends.

Ken graduated from Bexley High School, and was an honors graduate of the University of Montana Writer's Workshop. He was most recently the Assistant Chief of Communications and Senior Advisor on Sustainable Development for the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources. A lifelong freelance writer, he published stories in the National Lampoon, the Columbus Dispatch, and wrote a bar and nightlife review column for Columbus Alive.

Ken loved working on political campaigns, and prided himself on being able to identify what truly mattered to people and to express that clearly in campaign materials and speeches. He became the head speechwriter for Ohio Attorney General Anthony Celebrezze, Jr., and managed multiple political and levy campaigns in Columbus and around Ohio.

But it was through rugby that Ken found his closest friends. He played for many years and through many injuries as a member of the Scioto Valley Rugby Football Club, and was a founding member of the Mighty SVELTS Rugby Club, which recently retired his jersey during a ceremony honoring him.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held for Ken on Friday October 19, 2018 at 5 pm with visiting time to follow until 7pm at the Schoedinger Northwest Chapel, 1740 Zollinger Rd., Columbus, Ohio 43221.

An informal gathering of friends and family is planned at Byrne's Pub,1248 West 3rd Avenue, Grandview, on Sunday afternoon, October 21st, starting at 2 pm. All are welcome!

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Ken's name to Falcon Camp in Carrollton, OH, http://www.falconcamp.com/ or to the Hospice of Central Ohio, https://hospiceofcentralohio.org/

"The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it." (from For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.)