William Henry Leach

1931 ~ 2018

William "Bill" Henry Leach, Jr, 87, passed away Saturday, June 16, 2018, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bill was born January 31, 1931 to William H Leach, Sr and Harriet Leahy Leach in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he lived during his school years.

Born during the depression, Bill and his sister Joan lived with their parents in a row house across the street from the State Correctional Institution in Pittsburgh until their father took the family on a 6-month journey by train out west. It was during this adventure Bill developed a love for the west, traveling to the cities of Chicago, Omaha, Denver, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque as well as visiting Yellowstone National Park. He knew one day he'd GO West!

As a teenager, Bill became actively involved with the Alleghany Council Boy Scouts achieving his Eagle Scout Citation in 1946 and then further earning the Order of the Arrow. Bill had the opportunity to attend several Jamborees and numerous scouting camps, including his favorite Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. As a teenager, Bill worked two summers as a lifeguard and canoeing counselor and as a young adult continued to volunteer as an Explorer Post Scout leader.

Bill attended the University of Pittsburgh, earning a degree in Petroleum Engineering. He worked summers first as a roustabout for Conoco in Wyoming and then as a roughneck for Magnolia Petroleum in Texas. After graduation, he continued as junior engineer with Magnolia for 6 more years before making a career switch to become an "independent" oilman.

In 1954, Bill married the "love of his life" Janet Lucille Evans and together they began their marriage living in an apartment over a 2-car garage. Their marriage spanned 61 years, 5 homes in 4 states. They had one daughter Christine April. Bill was a devoted husband and father.

Professionally, Bill and his partner Bob Einhorn started their own company, LeClair Westwood, Inc., in Denver, Colorado. As President, Bill was focused on growing their production and completion work in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and California from just the two of them in 1968 to a staff of 25. He never missed payroll for their employees.

From 1981-1984, Bill was elected President of the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, (IPAMS), a regional non-profit trade association of 13 mountain states focused on energy and public land issues. He was politically active and engaged from IPAMS start in the 1970s until he retired.

Bill survived not one, but two oil booms to bust eras, finally selling the company to Antares, where he continued to serve as President. With the spirit of rising again, he later served at the helm of two other independent oil companies, TriSearch and finally, AmericanPetresearch. He semi-retired in the late 1990s to spend more time with his wife Janet, traveling and playing golf. Janet had other ideas and turned over the cooking responsibility as well.

Through his entire career, Bill wrote for many Oil and Gas publications and was invited to speak in China as part of an Oil and Gas delegation in 1988. He served on the Board of Directors for three smaller "independents" and was a lifelong member of the Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers as well as active in the Presbyterian Church for much of his life.

Family

Bill is survived by his daughter, Christine Williams, Salt Lake City, UT, and his grandsons, Jon Williams, Los Angeles, CA and Paul Williams, San Diego, CA. He was preceded in death by his wife Janet Evans Leach, his sister and parents.

Special Messages

Bill was well respected by his peers and loved dearly by his family. He will be greatly missed. And for those who knew him well, you know he loved being Irish, so raise a pint in his honor as he would tell us all to "keep the party going".

Services will be held Saturday, July 7, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at the Larkin Sunset Lawn Mortuary, 2350 East 1300 South, Salt Lake City, Utah.

A Traditional Irish Wake in Bill\s Honor is to follow.