Gracie Odell Leland was born in the Miccosukee Community where her family has resided for eight generations. Gracie grew up on the Leland property with her 9 brothers and 2 sisters. She was the ninth child and the second daughter born to Garfield Leland, Sr., a sharecropper, and Daisy McCloud Leland, a stay-at-home mom. Her father worked hard and eventually the Leland farm grew to 100 acres.
A tightknit family, her mother raised the children to always look after one another. Gracie’s says her mother was her biggest influence in life. “My mom used to say, ‘Helping your siblings is most important. Stay together.” The Leland family has continued that legacy with monthly family gatherings, summer road trips, and annual family reunions. They’ll celebrate 41 years of Leland Family reunions this July.
Gracie’s brother Judge is thirteen months older than she and Gracie loved to shadow him when they were children. When Judge began attending school at Concord Elementary, Gracie tagged along. “Back in those days they allowed that,” Gracie laughs.
Gracie and Judge attended the original Lincoln High School and at the age of 16, she along with her brother, graduated in the Class of 1963. Afterwards, she told her mom it was time for her to obtain employment and purchase a car to assist with the younger siblings, Jack and Katie.
Her first job was with a private family as a housekeeper. Keeping her promise to her mom, Gracie would pick Katie up from Leon High school and take Katie to her afterschool job.
Gracie says she was always good with numbers and while working at Square Deal Construction, one of the leading construction firms, she was afforded the opportunity to attend Lively Technical School where she acquired bookkeeping and accounting skills. She later got a job with the state, retiring from DFS worker’s compensation division in 2012 at the age of 66.
She says the best thing about retirement is “Freedom! You can do what you want when you want!” Gracie says she’s never bored. She serves the Miccosukee Community through her church, New Jerusalem, where she’s been a member since 1958. She’s superintendent of Sunday School, secretary of the choir, and a board trustee.
Gracie regularly attends the Miccosukee Lunch & Learns and the Senior Fitness classes offered by the Tallahassee Senior Center’s Leon County Senior Outreach program of which she also serves on the Advisory Council. Several of her siblings also attend the monthly lunches and weekly fitness classes.
Being a 17-year breast cancer survivor, Gracie stresses the importance of routine doctors’ appointments and physical activity. Her secret to positive aging is “Eat healthy, exercise, and keep it real!” Gracie says she leaned on her strong faith to get her through the challenge of her breast cancer diagnosis and surgery.
Asked what she’s most proud of accomplishing, Gracie doesn’t hesitate to say, “Raising my son Michael as a single parent and giving him more than what I had.” Michael lives on the Leland property and works for his alma mater, FAMU. Gracie and her son enjoy following FAMU football and attending games near and far.
Gracie offers this advice to both old and young, “Embrace change and innovation. Learn from your mistakes and do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Gracie Leland, Miccosukee Matriarch, continues to be a fierce advocate for the community she loves so dearly.
