Celinda Sheldon Leggett
Obituary

Celinda Sheldon Leggett died peacefully in hospice on February 22, 2026 at Foothills Presbyterian Hospital in Glendora, California.

Cindy was born in Columbus, Ohio, on January 22, 1949. She grew up in Seattle, Washington, and graduated from Annie Wright Seminary in 1967. She attended Rockford College for a short time.  She married Ray Riecke in 1971 in Chicago, Illinois. After the birth of their daughter Melanie, they moved to Long Beach, California; she and Ray divorced several years later. She went to school and earned an RN degree and worked as a nurse in area hospitals and for The Red Cross. Her marriage to Curtis Conrad in 1995 ended in divorce a decade later.

Cindy was a passionate, funny, and intelligent person. As a child, she loved to perform and to make others laugh. She was a gifted athlete and learned quickly.  She loved animals, movies, and music, especially The Beatles and Paul Simon. Sadly, she struggled with anxiety and addiction throughout her life. She believed in the power of AA and NA and made many friends in these groups. In retirement, she volunteered for Meals on Wheels. She loved her daughter Melanie and granddaughter Grace very much, taking great pride in their many accomplishments. She had a large and loving extended family.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Glenn Hubert and Doris James Leggett, and her first husband, friend, and Melanie’s father, Ray Riecke. She is survived by her daughter Melanie Rae and granddaughter Grace Hiller, stepmother Russelle Leggett, sisters Leslie (David), Susan (Michael), Joanna (Alan), Sarah (Tim), and brother Brian (Jennifer), and many nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank James and Karen O’Leonard and Cindy’s friend Marty Daugherty for their kind support of Cindy in her later years.

No services are planned. In lieu of flowers, please give to Bristol Hospice Northern Los Angeles, to your local mental health or substance use disorder services, or to your local animal shelter.