Kathryn Leckie

Kathryn Thompson Leckie passed away Sunday morning, February 19 at age 50, surrounded by her family in her hometown of Chester, Virginia.
Kathryn was known for her smile and brilliant blue eyes. Colleagues often kidded her about the dimpled smile being left over from her days as a cheerleader and homecoming queen at Thomas Dale High School. She spoke in a soft southern drawl and had an infectious laugh. Kathryn was most proud of her sons, John and James, both will graduate from the University of Maryland in May.
Kathryn attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and worked on the college newspaper, The Collegiate Times.
She spent her entire working life in newspapers, including stints at The Richmond (Va.) Timesâ??Dispatch, The Charlottesville Daily Progress (VA) and The Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Hi) before joining The Frederick News-Post (Md) in 1995, first as a nighttime police reporter and later covering the courthouse beat.
Kathryn mentored fresh young reporters gaining her the title of newsroom â??momma bearâ?.
She was an "old school" reporter, hitting the streets and talking to people face-to-face rather than simply relying on emails and faxes. She was known for working the phones during a breaking story, using unlisted numbers that police officers, lawyers and judges gladly gave to her and nobody else. Her stories shed light on some of society's greatest ills, such as drunken driving, child abuse and domestic violence, but she was also adept at telling the stories of life's positive moments. Sometimes the two intertwined, as in the story she did on a man stealing from churches to support a drug habit, later telling readers about his successful graduation from a drug rehabilitation program. The man told her that he carried that final story in his wallet as a reminder.
Kathryn believed that everyone had a story to tell regardless of standing in the community.
She attended Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Fla., a national training center for journalists, as well as the FBI Academy in Baltimore, Md. Recently she was awarded citations from the Frederick Mayor and Aldermen, Frederick County Commissioners, Frederick Police Department and Frederick Sheriff's Office in recognition of her years at The News-Post and the contributions she and her reporting made to the community.
Additionally, she received a proclamation from the Stateâ??s Attorney of Frederick County recognizing her for her exemplary professionalism and her outstanding commitment in covering matters criminal with the utmost kindness and compassion shown to crime victims.
Kathryn often spoke of the need to send handwritten letters to all that supported her. She wished to thank everyone for their inspiration, love and support. On behalf of our family we wish to extend that thanks on her behalf.
She is survived by her parents, James W. and Patricia G. Thompson, of Chester, Va.: maternal grandmother, Ruth Garst Showalter, of Chester, Va.; sons, John T. and James G. Leckie, both of Adamstown, Md.; brother, David Thompson, Lt. Colonel, U.S. Army and wife Faye, of Sterling, Va.; sisters, Alison T. Martin (Gregory â??Boâ?), of Chester, Va., and Elaine Thompson, of Chester, Va.; nephews, Devan Thompson, 2nd Lt. U.S. Air Force and wife Jacqueline, Joseph Thompson, of Richmond, Va.; nieces, Bronwyn Sharpley, of Chester, Va., Lauren Thompson, of Sterling, Va., Scarlett Martin, of Chester, Va.; Robert Leckie, M.D., of Reno, Nevada, father of John and James; paternal grandparents of John and James, John and Shelia Leckie; Ricky and Liza Gravitt, aunt and uncle of John and James; Cousins, Madison Gravitt and Ryan Gravitt, all of Chester, Va.
Please join us in a celebration of â??Kateâ??sâ? life; 2:00 PM Saturday, February 25, 2012, at Chester Presbyterian Church, 3424 West Hundred Road, Chester, Va. 23831. A reception will follow at the church. Friends if you wish may send flowers to J. T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home, 3050 W. Hundred Road, Chester, Va. 23831.