Pat Leeson was much like her late husband when it came to planning ahead.
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Just like Ray, The Goulburn Post's longest-serving editor, Mrs Leeson penned details of her life and entrusted them to a custodian for her eulogy.
"But she told me I was not to say how old she was," good friend Don Elder quipped on Wednesday.
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Family and friends gathered at Saint Patrick's Chapel on Wednesday to farewell Mrs Leeson. She died at Warrigal aged care facility on Tuesday, December 13, aged (dare we say) ninety-five.
Mr Elder, a former longtime Goulburn solicitor, paid tribute to Mrs Leeson as a lady of grace and style who cared deeply for her family and people generally.
He visited her weekly at Warrigal, where she lived for the past six years, following Ray's 2015 passing.
"She was a very gracious lady," Mr Elder said.
"I remember a couple times I visited her unannounced...and she'd say 'I don't have my lippy on.' She would adjourn to put the lipstick on, always wanting to look her best."
Born Patricia Eve Kirley on April 18, 1927 in Cootamundra, she was the eldest of three girls to Annie and Reg. Her sisters were Lila and Phyllis, the latter of whom ran Phyllis' Fashions in Goulburn for many years.
The family moved to Goulburn in 1937 when her father was transferred as a senior railway clerk to the Per Way workshops.
Pat attended South Goulburn Public School, followed by Goulburn High, and then learnt shorthand under Mena Barry.
She subsequently worked for Dr Aileen Mitchell, Australia's first female opthalmologist, in Montague Street.
Typically social, she met the diminutive and athletic Goulburn Evening Penny Post deputy editor, Ray Leeson at a dance in the late 1940s at a ball. Both had attended with other people but soon hit it off. They married in 1950, beginning what Mr Elder described as a "long and happy" union.
![Pat and Ray Leeson were married in 1950 and spent almost 65 happy years together. Picture supplied. Pat and Ray Leeson were married in 1950 and spent almost 65 happy years together. Picture supplied.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/2c787a6f-90db-4df1-b42c-053310e510e0.jpeg/r0_0_6344_3820_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
They couple had two children - Janelle and Ian.
In 1952, Ray was appointed GEPP editor, a position he held until 1988. In his eulogy, Ian said his father later reflected in a Goulburn Post interview that "it was a very lonely life being married to an editor" because often he covered evening events and "Pat was left to look after the children."
"In many ways, Mum was a single mum and Janelle and I were her most important priority," Ian said.
She went the extra mile, whether writing Ian's school exam answers after he broke his wrist, helping the children secure their first car, or standing up for their rights.
Pat worked at the school canteens, helped start Goulburn's Meals on Wheels service, assisted infants at Bourke Street Primary School with reading, was a member of Goulburn Inner Wheel Club, Young Anglicans at Saint Saviour's Cathedral, 'Henpexians' (the female branch of Apex) and taught Sunday School at the Good Shepherd Church in Auburn Street.
![Pat Leeson was proud of husband, Ray's achievements. They are pictured here in 2008 when Ray was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for services to journalism and the community. Picture by Leon Oberg. Pat Leeson was proud of husband, Ray's achievements. They are pictured here in 2008 when Ray was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for services to journalism and the community. Picture by Leon Oberg.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/7aded3e5-5a20-426b-9be2-06096c729da1.jpg/r0_0_2592_3888_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
When not doing community work, there was time for tennis.
All the while, Mr Elder said Pat was a great support to her husband in his demanding role.
"She cared for people and that's why she did so much in the community," he said.
"(Pat) was a great example of what can be achieved when you're married to a high-powered husband."
Mr Leeson once described her as his "best cadet."
Ian said his mother would do anything for her children and always welcomed his and Janelle's friends. Later, she loved hosting her three grandchildren - Scott, Mark and Emma - for school holidays.
She and Ray were "two peas in a pod," Mr Elder said, and the couple was exceedingly proud of their family.
She showed fortitude following Ray's sad passing in 2015, after 65 years of marriage. Soon after, she moved to Warrigal, where she loved her room overlooking Goulburn and Rocky Hill. The staff also loved and cared for her, which the family deeply appreciated.
Ian said his mother maintained a keen interest in current affairs until the last and kept in contact with her grandchildren via her iPad.
"Whereas a lot of people look at material possession as reflecting their accomplishments in life, Mum, your legacy will be much longer lasting," he told the funeral service.
"They are right here in front of me - Janelle, (grandchildren) Emma, Scott, Mark, (great grandchildren) Charley, Milla and little Jack back in Sydney whom you held for the first time just six weeks ago. From where I stand you have a lot to be proud of."
![Pat and Ray Leeson with children Janelle Butcher and Ian at Government House in Canberra in 2008 when Ray received his OAM. Picture supplied. Pat and Ray Leeson with children Janelle Butcher and Ian at Government House in Canberra in 2008 when Ray received his OAM. Picture supplied.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/a7d60bc0-ecb5-4c45-ac58-4172477554f8.jpeg/r0_213_5528_4162_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mrs Leeson is also survived by Ian's wife, Dianne, and Janelle's husband, Michael Butcher. She is predeceased by her two sisters.
Her ashes will be interred next to Ray at the Goulburn General Cemetery at a future date.
- With thanks to Don Elder and Ian Leeson for their assistance.
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