Ralda Reish

Memorial Service:
3:00 PM, Sunday, January 18, 2026
Ahavath Achim Synagogue 
600 Peachtree Battle Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30327

Livestream:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LIVESTREAM.
Meeting ID: 829 0537 0326
Passcode: aameeting

Family will receive guests at the synagogue following the service, leading up to the 6:00 PM evening minyan. 

Obituary:
 

Ralda Lefkoff Reish, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt, passed away peacefully on January 15, 2026 at the age of 88.

Born in Atlanta on October 7, 1937, Ralda grew up in Morningside and attended Morningside Elementary and Grady High School. A striking and youthful beauty, she won both the Miss Teenage Georgia and the Georgia College Queen beauty pageants. After studying for two years in Athens at the University of Georgia, Ralda moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.

On one of her visits home Ralda met the love of her life, Martin Reish, and soon after gave up her acting career to marry Marty in 1958. Two years later her first son, Joel, was born, then a year and a half later, Kenneth. In 1965 she completed the hat trick with a third boy, Greg.

Ralda spent the next twenty years raising her boys and shuttling them to sports practices and games, music lessons, shows, and Bar Mitzvah lessons. During this time she also embarked on a career as a travel agent, working at long-time friend and former Atlanta mayor Sam Massell’s travel agency, Your Travel Agent.

While she and Marty were already avid travelers, Ralda’s career in the industry accelerated their frequency and duration of travel. Wherever they went, she returned not only with gifts for everyone, but stories to tell for the rest of her life. Ralda traveled extensively to notable places such as China, Japan, Africa, Australia, The Galápagos Islands, Argentina, Chile, Israel, Soviet Russia, and most of Europe.

Once her sons grew to have families and careers of their own, Ralda returned to acting, working with the Jewish Community Center’s Senior Ensemble and appearing in “The Anne Frank Story” at Roswell Community Theater.

Ralda’s devotion to community work led her to sit on numerous boards and committees of organizations tied to the Atlanta Jewish community or to other causes near and dear to her heart, including ORT, Hadassah, the Atlanta Jewish Federation, and several PTAs. She was also active in both the Shearith Israel and Ahavath Achim Sisterhoods.

With her strong fashion sense, Ralda considered shopping a serious sport, not to be taken lightly. It took commitment, preparation, a carefully executed game plan, and a full follow through. She was a true professional in this endeavor. Later in life she dedicated herself to her grandchildren, immersing herself in their lives and constantly looking forward to spoiling them on the next trip to her beloved Hilton Head.

Ralda is survived by son Kenneth (Sherrie) Reish; son Greg (Abby) Reish; grandchildren Ethan (McKenzie) Reish, Lucy Reish, Allison Reish, and Isabella Reish. Ralda was predeceased by husband Martin Reish; parents Harry Lefkoff and Anne Siegel Lefkoff; brothers Marvin Lefkoff and Paul Lefkoff; and son Joel Reish.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation or Ahavath Achim Synagogue of Atlanta.