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 Leila A. McKay
Leila Anne Lewkowicz (McKay) was born on June 2, 1913, in York, Ontario, Canada, to Annie Louisa McKee (McKay) and Anthony (Antoine) Joseph Lewkowicz. She was born a Lewkowicz (Annie Leila). Later, she took her mother's maiden name McKee and it evolved into McKay. The family moved to Queens, NY where Leila received her primary education.
In the late 1930's and early 40's she made her home with he close friend Mrs. Roger Burt, at 15 Cayuga Street, Rye NY. She enlisted April 12, 1943, and served in the Women's Army Nurse Corps during World War II.
The U.S. Army Nurse Corps (ANC) underwent a massive expansion during World War II, growing from fewer than 1,000 nurses in 1941 to more than 59,000 by the war's end.
Miss McKay WAC Lieutenant Miss Leila McKay, WAC, has been promoted to first lieutenant. Before entering the service, Miss McKay made her home with Mrs. Roger Burt, 15 Cayuga Street. She is in the Air Service Command, and is stationed at Patterson Field, Fairfield, Ohio. PAGE EIGHT THE RYE CHRONICLE Friday, March 24, 1944
In October 1944 Leila was serving at Fort logan, CO and had developed a new musical therapy for convalescing GI's. Leila was a teacher and also during WW2 a music therapist for soldiers with PTSD. A woman ahead of her time.
A new form of musical therapy
treatment in use at an Army Air
Forces convalescent hospital and
aimed at aiding hat tie-fatigued airmen regain a healthy and normal outlook on life will be described by its
originator, Army Nurse Leila McKay,
of 15 Cayuga Street, Rye, on Columbia network's "First in the Air" radio
program, Friday, October 27. (WABCCBS, 4:00-4:30 P. M., EWT.)
Lieut. McKay supervises the construction by the soldiers of their own
musical instruments at Fort Logan,
Colorado, an Army Air Forces rehabilitation center and convalescent hospital. The project, started by Lieut.
McKay, is used at the Fort Logan
base in addition to the Army's regular
musical therapy methods which, according to the AAF, play a large part
in rehabilitating combat-weary G.I.'s
Friday, October 27, 1944 THE RYE CHRONICLE
Leila would marry Dr. Eric O. Callen on August 17, 1946 at The Little Church Around the Corner in Manhattan, NY. The couple had met in NY in 1939 before the war and they would have two sons.
In 1950, they were living in Queens, NY and she was a full time mom. The family would eventually move to Canada. Her husband Dr. Eric Ottleben passed away suddenly on August 22, 1970, in Ayacucho, Peru, at the age of 57. They had been married 24 years.
Leila Anne Lewkowicz (McKay) died on January 7, 2001, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, when she was 87 years old. Widow of Dr. Eric Callen. Dear mother of Tom (Jane) and Bob. Grandmother of Krista and Leah.
A Service in Memory Mrs. Callen was held January 16, 2001 in St. George's Church (Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec)
Name: Leila A McKay Race: White
Marital status: Single, Rank: Private
Birth Year: 1913
Citizenship: Citizen
Residence: Westchester, New York
Education: 4 years of high school
Civil Occupation: Secretaries
Enlistment Date: 12 Apr 1943 Place: New York City
Service Number: A-205099
Branch: Womens Army Corps Civil Life
Height: 08
Weight: 127
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