Leah Grace Sexton Halsey of Mouth of Wilson, Virginia passed away on March 21, 2026 at the age of 104. She was born on December 18,1921, in Independence, Virginia and was preceded in death by her husband, R. Edward Halsey as well as her mother and father, Earl and Clyde Hendrix Sexton. Leah will be remembered most for her dedication to family as well as to the many students whose lives she touched.

Leah attended Pleasant Grove School for grades one through seven. She graduated from Independence High School in 1938 at the age of 16. She then spent two years at Radford State Teacher's College, (now Radford University), where she obtained a teaching certificate. Years later she returned to Radford, graduating in 1973 with her Bachelor's degree.

Her long teaching career began in 1940 in one room schools, including Mountain View and Pleasant Grove. Over the course of her career in the Grayson County School System, she also shared her love of learning with students at Independence Elementary, Oak Hill Academy, and Bridle Creek School from which she retired in 1984. She loved her students, and their affection for her has been made evident through their many kind comments and expressions of fond memories over the years.

In addition to working as an educator and raising a family, Leah also worked hard as a farm wife. The food she helped grow and preserve provided many meals for the family, and she continued to enjoy her role in gardening in later years, including stringing and breaking beans. During the long fight in the 1970's to prevent Appalachian Power Company's attempt to build dams which would flood much of Mouth of Wilson, Leah expressed her opposition by traveling to Washington D.C on several occasions to lobby Congress. Her picture appeared in national newspapers as part of a group protesting outside the AFL-CIO, picket sign in hand.

In retirement Leah remained active. She was a member of the Grayson County Retired Teacher's Association as well as the Red Hat Society, and enjoyed many outings with these groups. She also enjoyed reading, crochet, and quilting, proudly completing a beautiful hand stitched quilt for each of her four grandchildren. She was a devoted grandmother, and spent much of her time helping care for her grandchildren, while still finding time to see most of the continental United States by charter bus. She was a member of Young's Chapel Baptist Church, and reminisced fondly about her attendance at Pleasant Grove Church with her parents as a young girl.

Leah is survived by two daughters, Janet Halsey (Hardin) and Judy Greear (Tom). She is also survived by four grandchildren; Michael Halsey (Elizabeth), Lisa Halsey (Jacob Daeffler), Megan Kegley (Calder) and Dylan Greear. She also has several great grandchildren who have added many happy moments in the last few years. She will be remembered fondly by nieces and nephews, cousins, friends and community members with whom she shared many special memories.

The family would like to express their gratitude to all the loving caregivers who have provided help for Leah in her later years. We have been most fortunate to have these loving and caring people by our side as we navigated a course which allowed her to remain in the comfort of her home. Mountain Valley Hospice also contributed greatly to her care during her final months.

A celebration of life will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, April 4,2026 at Young's Chapel Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Young's Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery Fund ( 2847 Oak Hill Road, Mouth of Wilson, Virginia 24363, Attention: Treasurer).