His Obituary
July 30, 2021
by Jeff Leonard
John (Jack) A. Leonard, 79, passed quietly in the hospital
on July 10, 2021.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1942, to Wade and Doris Leonard, he was the second oldest of four super-smart, handy, tech geek boys. After graduating from Parma (OH) High School in 1960, John studied chemical engineering at Fenn College (now known as Cleveland State University) and then began a career with Union Carbide. He worked at Union Carbide for 30+ years as a chemical safety engineer and later practiced as a certified safety professional and process safety auditor and consultant out of ABS Consulting in Knoxville. His professional life caused multiple relocations up and down the east coast from West Virginia, to New York, to Florida, to North Carolina, to Pennsylvania, to Connecticut, and finally to Knoxville, Tennessee where he lived the last 20+ years. John loved family, food, travel, Bob Dylan, photography (winning a few awards from time to time), and UT sports, especially the men’s baseball team and the Lady Vols.
He is survived by Cathie, his loving wife of 53 years; his two sons, Jeffrey and Jason; Jason’s wife, Kelly; three grandchildren - Julia, Josef, and Alek; and his brothers - Art and Jimmy, along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family asks that you make a donation in his memory to the American Cancer Society or the American Lung Association.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1942, to Wade and Doris Leonard, he was the second oldest of four super-smart, handy, tech geek boys. After graduating from Parma (OH) High School in 1960, John studied chemical engineering at Fenn College (now known as Cleveland State University) and then began a career with Union Carbide. He worked at Union Carbide for 30+ years as a chemical safety engineer and later practiced as a certified safety professional and process safety auditor and consultant out of ABS Consulting in Knoxville. His professional life caused multiple relocations up and down the east coast from West Virginia, to New York, to Florida, to North Carolina, to Pennsylvania, to Connecticut, and finally to Knoxville, Tennessee where he lived the last 20+ years. John loved family, food, travel, Bob Dylan, photography (winning a few awards from time to time), and UT sports, especially the men’s baseball team and the Lady Vols.
He is survived by Cathie, his loving wife of 53 years; his two sons, Jeffrey and Jason; Jason’s wife, Kelly; three grandchildren - Julia, Josef, and Alek; and his brothers - Art and Jimmy, along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family asks that you make a donation in his memory to the American Cancer Society or the American Lung Association.