Gary Leonhardt

GARY LEONHARDT
CHANDLER, AZ - Gary Leonhardt, the son of Karl and Mary Leonhardt, died peacefully early on the morning of June 25, 2008 in Chandler, Arizona, at the age of 71. Gary led a rich and full life. He was particularly fond of upstate New York, and thought of his time there as the best of his life.
Gary was born June 29, 1936 in Heuvelton, NY. He spent many of his early years in upstate New York. He graduated from Hamilton College in 1958 and received his Juris Doctor from Cornell University in 1961. After completing his law degree and taking the bar exam, he headed for Naval Officer Candidate School, then Naval Justice School in Newport, RI. His brief career in the Navy took him from Washington, DC, where he served in the office of the judge advocate general from 1962-1964, to Honolulu, HI where he was stationed with an air squadron at Barber's Point, and then back to Newport where he was on staff at Naval Justice School from 1965 until he resigned his commission in 1968.
Gary met the love of his life, Nancy, during his initial stint in Washington. They were married in 1963 and enjoyed 34 memorable years together, until her passing in the spring of 1997.
Shortly after departing the Navy in 1968, Gary and his growing family moved to Rochester, NY where he worked in the trust department of Lincoln Rochester Trust Co. until 1972. From Rochester, the family moved to Ithaca, where Gary served as trust officer at Cornell for 22 years. While in Ithaca, he also dedicated time to a number of volunteer activities that brought him great satisfaction. For four years, he served on the board of the local chapter for the American Red Cross. He also became active in the Cayuga Heights Volunteer Fire Department, where he was eventually elected chief in 1992. In 1994, he made the difficult decision to retire from Cornell and take a similar position with Arizona State University. Years of upstate New York winters had taken their toll, so Gary and Nancy decided to leave their snow shovels behind and move to Chandler, AZ.
Gary remained in Chandler until his death in 2008. He is survived by his four children, Patrick (of Kailua, HI), Douglas (of Syracuse, NY), Robert (of Vancouver, WA) and Debra (of Ithaca, NY); daughters-in-law, Susan, Lisa, and Anne; and his ten grandchildren, Thomas, Patrick, Alyssa, Brianna, Emma, Peter, Julian, Samantha, Jessica and Jacob.
Interment Services will be held for Nancy and Gary on October 10, 2008 at 11:30 at Pleasant Grove Cemetery. A small reception will follow at the Cayuga Heights Fire Department.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Gary Leonhardt to the American Cancer Society.