Leah E. Gabbard, 66, died Monday, May 7, at University Hospital in Cincinnati following a lengthy illness. She had been a resident of Heartland of Eaton for the past five years. Born June 25, 1934, in Gratis Township (Preble County), she was the daughter of Pearl E. and Mildred L. (Witters) Hamm. She was a lifelong resident of the Village of Gratis, and was a 1952 graduate and class valedictorian of Gratis High School. Her further educational accomplishments included a certificate in interior design from the Chicago School of Interior Design. She then graduated from Sinclair College in Dayton in 1984 with a degree in fine arts, and received a degree from Miami University in 1985 in liberal arts education. She was an art teacher and co-founder of Young Artist Workshops, a non-profit organization specializing in art education for children in Eaton.

Survivors include her husband, Neveal Gabbard of Gratis, whom she married May 31, 1960, in Clovis, N.M.; a daughter and son-in-law, Julie and Craig Huff of Gratis; two brothers, Gary Hamm of Germantown and Galen Hamm of Gratis; and other family members.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday, May 11, at Gratis United Methodist Church, corner of Ohio 725 and 503, followed by burial in Fairview Cemetery, Gratis. The family will receive friends from 10-11 a.m. on Friday at the church. Dalton Funeral Home, Germantown, is in charge of arrangements.