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Louis Franklin Leonard, 99

family CHEBEAGUE ISLAND -- Louis Franklin Leonard, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011, at the age of 99.

Lou was born on Nov. 11, 1911, on Cliff Island, to Emily Mae Hamilton and George Edwin Leonard. His life spanned two centuries and many eras; his values and morals guided him throughout his long life.

Lou's family moved to Chebeague Island, his mother's home, when he was one. They ran the grocery and general store, Leonard's Market, for five decades. As a youth, Lou worked in the store, delivering ice and groceries to island residents. He graduated from Chebeague High School in 1928. Preparing himself for higher education, he attended Shaw Business College and Bridgton Academy. Lou entered Brown University in 1932 and graduated in 1936, supporting himself by working nights shoveling coal to keep home furnaces running. During his graduate work at Brown, he completed An Outline of Mineralogy, which was published in 1939. Lou was a member of Mensa and enjoyed the hobby of short wave radio for many years.

In 1940 Lou joined Pratt and Whitney Aircraft as an aeronautic engineer, a job from which he retired at age 65. At P&A, Lou met his wife, Elizabeth Ann Johnson, whose beauty, quick intellect and mastery of advanced mathematics he admired. They wed in 1952, beginning a happy 52 year marriage. They had five children and endured the loss of their beloved third child, George Edwin, when he was 16 months old. Lou and Elizabeth devoted themselves to their children, making countless sacrifices to create a nurturing and loving environment. Throughout the years, they maintained a commitment to family ties, ensuring regular trips to visit grandparents in Washington, D.C. and on Chebeague Island.

Lou passed on to his children and their families his passionate love of his home, Chebeague Island. His background as a rural man marked him for life, imprinting a thriftiness that never wavered, a constant awareness of subtle wind and weather patterns, a sense of values that resisted the need to impress others, and a willingness to shoulder the burden to do the right thing for his family and friends.

Chebeague has been a source of joy and reunion for the family for many years. Countless visits with relatives, boat rides, night's around the fire, meals, stories, croquet games, walks, beach days, and golf ball hunting trips have cemented a family connection that spans generations. The rootedness provided by Chebeague is a gift beyond measure, and a treasure to shepherd forward for future generations.

Lou's intellect, gentle spirit and humble bearing endeared him to many. His ever-present shirt and tie marked his respect for others. He spent the last several years in the loving care of Nahid and Alex Shadrokh and colleagues at The Lovettsville Home in Virginia. They created a stimulating and healthy environment for him that enriched and enlivened his last days. He loved them.

Lou was preceded in death by his parents, Emily and George Leonard; brother, Clifford Milton; daughter, Henrietta Louise; son, George Edwin; and son-in-law, Robert Hogan Jr. He is survived by his children, Ann Hamilton, Edward Robert and Susan Elizabeth; daughter-in-law, Regina and sons-in-law, John Sullivan and Kenneth Rickler. He has nine loving grandchildren, Alexander and Nathaniel Rickler, James and Henry Hogan, Matthew Sullivan, and Barbara, George, Margaret and Mary Leonard.

Lou's ashes will be interred next to his parents, wife and son on Chebeague Island.

Celebration of the life of Louis Leonard will be held Saturday August 13th at 12:00 noon at the Chebeague UM Church. Reception of follow in the Parish House.

Donations may be made to the
Chebeague Island Methodist Church
or Asylum Hill
Congregational Church
814 Asylum Ave.
Hartford, Connecticut 06105

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Front row, left to right - Ethel Roberts, Gladys Bowen, Annie Roberts, Elsie Ross, Meda Hamiltion, Bertha Ross
Middle row, Elliot Thompson, Louis Leonard, Richard Bowen, Eloise Hamilton, Grace Bennett, Winona Hamilton, Miss Alice B. McDonald, teacher.
Third row, Raymond Hamilton, Clifford Leonard, Ellsworth Miller and Wilmer Turner.

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