Leslie J. Oliphant

Leslie J. Oliphant, 92, the widower of Muriel (Fogerty) Oliphant, died on Wednesday, July 24, 2013, after a short illness.

Leslie was born in Hartford, the son of James and Mary (Judson) Oliphant, and had been a longtime resident of Manchester. He graduated from Windsor High School and the bookkeeping course at Hartford Secretarial School. Leslie was a World War II veteran who served as an administrative noncommissioned officer in the European Theatre of Operations during the campaigns of Normandy, Northern France, and Rhineland. For his service, he received the American Theatre Ribbon, the EAME Theatre Ribbon, the Good Conduct Metal, the Meritorious Unit Award, and the World War II Victory Medal. He retired from Grody Chevrolet in West Hartford, and worked for a short time as an office assistant at Candids by Carol in Manchester. Leslie was a passionate Yankees and UConn fan and most enjoyed long walks and time spent with his grandchildren.

He is survived by his son and two daughters, Carol Rommel, and her husband, Gary, of Hilton Head, S.C., and their children, Bob and Yuan Rommel of Bluffton, S.C., and Adair Rommel and Tyler Newman of St. Augustine, Fla.; his son, James L. Oliphant of Manchester, and his children Douglas Oliphant of North Hollywood, Calif., and Megan Oliphant of Coventry; and his daughter, Joyce Shea, and her husband, Joseph, of Prospect, and their children, Deirdre Shea of Oakville, and Patrick and Thomas Shea of Prospect. Leslie is also survived by a sister-in-law, Mary Jane Fogerty of Bloomfield; a cousin, Rosemary Cahill of Windsor; along with several nieces and nephews.

The Oliphant family would like to offer a special note of thanks to the staff of Salmon Brook Center of Glastonbury and to Masonicare Partners Home Health and Hospice.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, July 30, at 9:15 a.m. at the John F. Tierney Funeral Home, 219 W. Center St., Manchester, followed by a mass of Christian burial at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Assumption, Manchester, with burial in Hillstown Road Cemetery, Manchester.

Family and friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday morning from 8:30 to 9:30.

Memorial donations may be made to Salmon Brook Center, 72 Salmon Brook Drive, Glastonbury, CT 06033; or to Masonicare Partners Home Health and Hospice, Administrative Office, 111 Founders Plaza, East Hartford, CT 06108.

For online condolences please visit

tierneyfuneralhome.com