Leonard Frederick Winter Jr.

LEONARD FREDERICK

WINTER

HAMPSTEAD- Leonard Frederick Winter, Jr., 86, of Hampstead, NC died March 23, 2011 at the home of his daughter Kathleen. Diagnosed with cancer six weeks earlier, he spent his last weeks surrounded by family members.

Leonard graduated from North Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, then earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1957. During World War II, he was stationed in England with the 8th Air Force as a flight engineer on a B24 Liberator.

Leonard was married to Joan Sexton for 61 years. They were married in 1949 in Pittsburgh, where he was employed by Bell Telephone. When they moved to Poughkeepsie, NY in 1957, he joined IBM and worked on development of the IBM 360 computer system. He continued working for IBM when they moved to Raleigh, NC in 1976, earning more than a half dozen patents for his work. He retired and they moved to Hampstead, NC in 1990.

Their home in Hampstead overlooked his beloved Mill Creek. He was devoted to preserving the environment of Mill Creek, protecting it from damaging agricultural run-off. He was appointed Creek Keeper by the State of North Carolina.

Leonard was energetic and enthusiastic, with an engaging zest for life and large family gatherings. He was an athletic man who loved being outdoors and involving family members in many activities, including boating, trips to the beach, fishing, camping, ice skating, sledding and swimming. He was a talented and avid golfer, winning trophies at IBM Country Club in Poughkeepsie and the North Shore Golf Club in Hampstead.

He was a Master Gardener, providing bounty for the family table from the large vegetable garden he developed and tended. He nurtured many indoor and outdoor flowers, bushes and trees which have been shared amongst the family at their homes.

With his talents he taught the family skills by involving us in the making of a Sunfish sailboat, family trestle table and benches and a blue stone patio.

Leonard was a member of St. Mark's Catholic Church in Wilmington. He was an early member of PenderWatch and was active on the Board of Trustees. He was also a member of the Hudson Valley IEEE Society, serving as president for two years, Knights of Columbus, American Legion, Coastal Seniors Golf Group, YMCA Men's Group and Topsail Island Investors Club.

Leonard was the oldest son of Leonard F. Winter and Marie Barnes Winter. He is survived by brothers David and Raymond and predeceased by brothers John and Paul.

In addition to Joan, he is survived by seven children and their families, including Christine Winter and her husband David Howe, Leonard F. Winter, III, and his wife Mare Winter, Maria Winter Gross and her husband Paul Gross, Kathleen Olechovsky and her husband David Olechovsky, Michael Winter and Megan Fontenot, Paul Winter and his wife Sallie Winter, Patricia Bottoms and her husband David Bottoms, as well as 17 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

A funeral mass will be held at 11 AM Saturday, March 26, 2011 at St. Luke Evangelist Catholic Church, 12333 Bayleaf Church Road in Raleigh with a private family burial at Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.

A service of Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 405 S. Main St., Wake Forest, NC 27587. (919-556-5811)

www.brightfunerals.com

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