Paul T. Leonard died peacefully on May 12th 2016 at his home in Tucson, Arizona after a long battle with hydrocephalus and vascular dementia. Pat Leonard, his wife of 61 years and best friend was with him.
Paul,
The time has come for us to part
Your departure has left emptiness in many hearts
We must release you-this we know
God has called you and you must go
You had a passion for family love and pride
And it was strong 'till the day you died
It breaks our heart to lose you
But you do not go alone
Part of us went with you
The day God called you home.
With Love, Pat
Paul is survived by his children: Denise (Deni) Dickson (husband, Dennis) of Indianapolis, IN, Lori Wheeler (husband, Jon) of Walla Walla, WA, Paul T. Leonard, Jr. (wife, Denise) of Hayden Lake, ID, Mary Leonard of Los Angeles, CA and foster-son, Hank L. Phan of Murrieta, CA. He is also survived by eight grandchildren: Jonathan Wheeler, Nicole (Kellen) Clemens, Cassie (Vincent) Glondo, Jamie Wheeler, Brittany (Michael) Ratelle, Paul Leonard III (Mary Alice), Madison Leonard and Hannah Leonard and twelve great grandchildren: Samantha and Beckham Wheeler, Kate, Grant and Scarlet Clemens, Gracie, Dominic and Gianna Glondo, Eleanor, Charlotte and Emmett Ratelle and Liv Leonard.
Paul is also survived by his brother, Philip Leonard, his sister Mary Bassett, and 69 nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to either;
Santa Catalina Catholic Church
14380 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, AZ 85737
Attention: Susan Budrow
OR
Hospice Family Care
6300 El Dorado Plaza, Suite 100, Tucson, AZ 85755
Attention: Robin Perez.
Please make donations in Memory of Paul T. Leonard.
It was four years ago today, that you left us; we knew that it was a blessing that your suffering here on earth would end. We think of you often and miss you SO VERY MUCH!!
With Love and Prayers,
Deni and Big D
You are in my thoughts and in my heart.
Always.
XXOO, Mary
Doubt thou the stars are fire
Doubt that the sun doth move
Doubt that truth to be a liar
But never doubt that I love - you.
(Hamlet)
RIP, Big Guy
I am a day late, so this post will not show up on your Birthday! However, no big deal right? Cause no need for birthdays in heaven, for everyday is a day of happiness and joy in the presence of our merciful God. It is a beautiful day here in Walla Walla. I probably never really thanked you and God enough over the years for the gift of your daughter Lori. She has been the perfect life partner for me! She is by far the most talented and gifted woman I know. You can revel in the glories of heaven knowing you and Pat changed and blessed my life with the gift of life thru your daughter Lori. I will always love you and the gift forever! Love you “Bigger than a Mountain”
Jon
I am not quite ready for the Philharmonic, but practice makes perfect. Dad could not hear this song often enough on his birthday.
With love and many good memories.
Deni
You haven’t gone away, you walk beside me every day…Unseen, unheard but always near, still loved and still missed. You are in my heart, in my thoughts, and in my life always.
XXOO, Tweets
We miss you friend.
From Mark and Paricia Whitworth
yesterday and days before that , too. I think of you in silence and I often speak your name. All I have are memories and your picture in a frame. You memory is my keepsake with which I'll never part. God has you in his loving hands. I have you in my heart!
RIP
When ever things got tough or problems arose Paul would say this.
When he did I always visualized an old in medieval times.
I always will remember this. He will be missed
The world needs more Like him.
Dave Nafziger
Fluffy
Your Fluff
Three years ago today, we lost you, but we know you are in a much better place. We are always together in spirit. You will be with us today as we celebrate Mother’s Day. We are in the Wee Village, Tweets will be preparing a special meal; Hung and Sue A. will be joining Mom, Big D and I for the day.
We know that you would love the newest member of the family, Rufus,
He will not be allowed to eat bran muffins❗️ Love you to bits, Deni
May God Bless you, Pat, in sharing him with us.
Thank you for your love, your generosity, your humor and lit but loyal debates. You've taught me a lot of things, except how to live without you. Love you, Mary
Those who have left us are not absent, they are only invisible. Their eyes, full of joy, are fixed on ours, full of tears. They are always with us. -Saint Augustine
Daddy-O, I think of you every day; Your bride misses you but I feel so lucky to give her a hug every day. ❤️
A Great Soul
By Maya Angelou
“A great soul serves everyone all the time.
A great soul never dies.
It brings us together again and again.”
I thought of you with love today but that is nothing new. I thought of you yesterday and days before that too. I think of you in silence and I often speak your name. All I have are memories and your picture in a frame. Your memory is my keepsake with which I'll never part. God has you in his keeping and I have you in my heart.
Happy Anniversary
Your Fluff
I think about you every day, but especially today--Christmas Eve and Grandma Evie's birthday. We will be going to mass and returning home for
oyster stew and tamales . Hung and Mary are here, staying with Mom. Give Grandma a hug from all of us. Wish we could all be together, but someday we will.
With love,
Deni
You are always in our thoughts, but especially this week on your birthday. We wanted to have a low-key birthday celebration: so Mom and I went to mass, then brought pastries home from Basha's--sorry no cake or crown--we will save those for when we are together. In the meantime, know that we feel your presence EVERY day. Love, Deni
joining of two kids very much in LOVE! Hannah and Chris were sealed together for all time and eternity! We felt you with us all day...we celebrated the day of your passing with a beautiful union of your youngest grand-daughter! It was a beautiful day and Paul wore your watch and spoke about the TIME that has passed and how much we miss you. I miss your smile, conversations on all the latest topics and watching how you loved on your "fluffy"....All my love, Niece
Chuck and Joyce Farho
Craig and Dot McKenzie
We all go through our lives having many many acquaintances, but really, a relatively few number of friends that we consider to be close enough to be family. During my life, I've been blessed to have had a number of such friends, among which is the Leonard family, and the patriarch of that family, Paul. I am deeply honored, as a friend, to have been asked to say a few words as we honor Paul's life and bid him farewell until we meet him again.
Compared to may others here, i was a relative newcomer in Paul's life, having known him about 11 years. while that seems like a fairly short time, it was long enough to really get to know appreciate who he was and what he was about. right from the very first time we met, i had this feeling that I had known him all my life, and that feeling did nothing b ut increase over the intervening years.
/who
was Paul Leonard through the eyes of a new, yet old friend? Well, two characteristics stand out for me . They are the words, dignity and gentleman. Paul, to me, was the epitome of both. It's not always easy to define these terms in words, bit it's one of those situations where, when you see it, you know it. He had dignity in his appearance, in his words, and in his actions, even near the end whe could do nothing else, but still be, Paul. 'Everything is going well, and how are you doing?" that's who he was. He was always interested in you, your family, your activities, and of course was always so proud of his family and their accomplishments. In thinking back, I can't really remember him using the word, "I" unless he was relating something from his Penney's days. It was always about others.
We always loved discussing virtually any topic. He was truly interested in what you had to say and what your opinions were. You know, we're all aware that to stay friends, we should avoid the topics of politics and religion. Not so with Paul. As with any topic, he was the consummate gentleman. Much of the time you weren't even aware of his opinion because he was more interested in the discussion, rather than trying to make a point like most of us are apt to do. Maybe his family and co-workers saw something else, but as a friend, he simply was not judgmental.
Good friend, my life is so much better off having the privilege of calling you my friend. We love and miss you.
You are right. Her voice is so beautiful (like an angel) and adds so much to the memorial. Thinking of you and your family during this difficult time.
Much love,
Ann and John Rolando
Diane
Leave a Tribute
It was four years ago today, that you left us; we knew that it was a blessing that your suffering here on earth would end. We think of you often and miss you SO VERY MUCH!!
With Love and Prayers,
Deni and Big D
Happy Birthday, Dad!
Dad was born 85 years ago today. What a full life he lived! If he was with us today, we would have baked a spice cake with German chocolate icing. We would have made him a crown out of tin foil which he would have worn all day. He would have wanted us to sing "Happy Birthday" to him throughout the day--(what happened to his humility?)
We do think about him every day and know he his looking down on us.
We look forward to being with you, Dad.
With all our love, XXXOOO, Big D and Deni
How Lucky I am
How lucky I am.....
--To be Mom and Dad's first born
--To be the child that strongly favored Dad in looks and temperament
--To have had a tall, handsome gentleman for a hero, one named, Dad
--To have a Dad who taught me many important lessons, maybe first and foremost, the fact that I could do anything I wanted in life
--To have Dad as a role model, especially in my career in business
--To have shared so many womderful times with Mom and Dad, our best friends and neighbors in Saddlebrooke, for over two decades
--To be in Tucson as Dad's health declined; although this period was extremely difficult, it was a very special time to be by his side, with Mom.
--To have had the chance to say a long "Good-bye" to Dad; this was the hardest thing that I have done in my life, but I know that he is in a much better place and one day we will be together again.
Thank you, Daddy-O; I love you, Deni
Oh......Daddy-O
I have had many wonderful opportunities to travel to Saddlebrooke since Pat and Paul's relocation there in the 80's. Last fall, October 2015, I was on a much needed respite following right shoulder reconstruction and a blow out of my left shoulder. I was staying with Deni, my bestestfriend in the world!
Pat and Deni were out on an errand and I was sitting with Paul for the morning.
The following vignette was as I recall a common event in the Leonard household,
but a first for me.
I had settled Paul in with the morning paper as we concluded a discussion on various topics and our morning arm workout. I needed to run to the ladies room and asked Paul to stay seated while I was gone. HOWEVER, I returned to find Paul sprawled on the floor, attempting to rise. Oh, Daddy-O, what have you done? Not sure how or where to begin lifting him, I lay on the floor beside him to calm him down. We did some deep breathing and I asked him if he knew any new jokes. He did not, so I shared the two I knew.
Finally, I got to my knees realizing how handicapped I was with no shoulder strength. So we proceeded to roll toward the sofa with the help of a blanket under
Paul and finally inched our way onto the sofa. Laughing the whole time, Paul and I admitted life and friends are good. His pride was a bit dented but all in all, we survived with a lot of giggles! Paul and I conspired not to "tell" (so Paul would not get into trouble)!
Kathy Hetzler, Paul's buddy