Adrienne Spencer Leach

Adrienne died in Carmichael, CA on February 13, 2025. She was 88 years old. She was the daughter of the late Pauline Mandarich Spencer and Robert E. Spencer.

Adrienne was born in Fresno, the second of six children. She attended Reedley High School, where she excelled not only in academics, but in swimming and as a piano player for a dance band. She also played the organ at St Anthony Parish in Reedley during high school. She and her brother Sam had learned to play the piano at a very young age, and it remained a lifelong passion for both of them. She graduated from high school at age 16, and attended Lone Mountain College for Women in San Francisco. She graduated at age 20 from Lone Mountain, which today is part of the University of San Francisco, with a double major in chemistry and mathematics.

After a brief time in chemistry research, she returned to her hometown of Fresno, to work as a clinical lab scientist at Fresno Community Hospital. She obtained licensure as a bio-analyst, a requirement for owning her own laboratory. She then moved to Gilroy, in the Bay Area, to help realize this dream. She opened her own clinical diagnostic laboratory, Spencer Laboratories, in 1969, which she operated until 1983.

While running her lab, she returned to school, obtaining a Master’s in Public Health from University of California, Berkeley in 1973. After closing her lab, she continued to work in as a scientist in hospital laboratories until her retirement.

Adrienne moved to the Sacramento area with her husband and son in 1987, to beautiful and peaceful Fair Oaks, where she was happy and grateful to reside for the rest of her life. After moving to Fair Oaks, she worked at the lab at Sutter Roseville Hospital for 18 years, as well as managing several Northern California outpatient labs for Quest Diagnostics. She retired from lab work at age 71.

Adrienne continued her musical pursuits and was the organist at St. Mel Parish in Fair Oaks for 30 years. She was actively involved in the Sacramento Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, serving on their Executive Board for 16 years. In later years, she maintained her organ-playing part-time at St John Evangelist Parish in Carmichael and St Clare Parish in Roseville. She and her husband have been members of St Clare Parish since 2019..

She was preceded in death by her brother Robert Spencer of Fresno, her sister Stephany Bergman of Fresno and by her brother David Spencer of Sacramento. She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Don Leach of Fair Oaks, her son Patrick Leach of Portland, OR, her brother Sam Spencer of Coronado, CA, and her brother Michael Spencer of Fredericksburg, VA. She is also survived by her nieces and nephews and their children, as well as many cousins and in-laws both near and far.

The Funeral Mass will be at St. Clare Catholic Church in Roseville on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 1230 P.M. Burial will follow at Fair Oaks Cemetery.

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