Our community is heartbroken over the sudden and tragic loss of Leah Borsich, who passed away tragically at just 23 years old in a plane crash while serving her country as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

Leah was a 2021 graduate of Wickliffe High School, where she was a talented athlete, musician, student, and leader. She participated in golf, tennis, cross country, Academic Challenge, the Swing Band, jazz band, pep band, and theater.

She went on to earn her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton while also enrolled in Air Force ROTC. She was a dedicated member of the Pride of Dayton Marching Band, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and the Flyer Pep Band. She then accepted her commission to serve as a Civil Engineering Officer in the United States Air Force.

But Leah was so much more than her accomplishments.

Those who knew her remember the little things: her calm and level-headed nature, her honesty and kindness, her ability to bring tremendous joy, energy, silliness, and friendship to everything she did, and that beautiful smile she seemed to carry with her. They remember her packing an entire week of clothes for band camp into one backpack. They remember her asking a friend to braid her hair and never complaining if the braid wasn't quite perfect. They remember her sitting on a kitchen floor patiently loving on an overly excited dog until he finally calmed down.

These may seem like small moments, but they are the moments that remind us who Leah really was.

She was the kind of person who made others feel valued and loved. She was smart, kind, talented, humble, and quietly extraordinary.

Someone who knew her described it perfectly:

“Leah was hiding her halo in all that thick, beautiful hair where none of us regular people could see it.”

And maybe that's exactly what happened.

It feels like Heaven realized they had let one of their own slip down to Earth and simply snatched her back.

It's not fair. She had so much left to do. She had a promising career, dreams, goals, and a future that was just beginning. She was going to change the world for the better.

Then again, just by being here, she already did.

The circumstances surrounding Leah's death have made an already unbearable loss even harder. Because of the remote location and devastating condition of the crash site, recovery and identification of Leah's remains is ongoing. We are waiting for the day we can finally bring her home.

Leah's family is now faced with the difficult realities of living with Leah's absence and creating a memorial worthy of her life.

Leah was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, where her work took her to remote locations including the Aleutians, Wake Island, and Hawaii. She loved going places others rarely get to see. She always made sure to carry an instrument with her and loved making music everywhere she went.

Leah played flute, piccolo, accordion, ukulele, mandolin, trumpet among countless others. She learned to repair instruments and was always trying to learn something new. In Alaska, she joined a band and traveled to music festivals throughout the state, often camping at the festivals on weekends.

She learned Arabic in Jordan and Morocco, traveled internationally, volunteered for years at The Fest, a Christian music festival, taught Spanish to elementary school children, sailed the Great Lakes twice as a junior crew member aboard the tall ship Denis Sullivan, volunteered at the Cleveland International Women's Air and Space Museum, and bicycled 150 miles by herself because she wanted to go fast and no one could keep up.

There should have been so many more chapters in Leah's story.

So many more places to see.

So many more instruments to learn.

So many more adventures to go on.

We cannot give Leah those years back. But we can make sure that the extraordinary life she lived is always remembered.

We are asking our community, friends, family, classmates, teammates, and everyone whose life Leah touched to come together to support her family during this unimaginable time. Funds raised will help ease the financial burden of funeral and memorial expenses, travel, and the unexpected costs that come with such a devastating loss.

No donation is too small. And if you aren't able to donate, sharing this fundraiser is a meaningful way to help.

Please help us honor Leah's life, support the family who loved her so deeply, and make sure this remarkable young woman is never forgotten.

Rest peacefully, Leah. We were lucky to have you here.