Dan Colbert Leonard

August 17, 1931 – August 11, 2022

Dan was born in the community of Wood, Franklin County, North Carolina to Sant Leonard and Dollie Gupton Leonard. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at the Pflugerville Care Center, Pflugerville, TX where he had been a resident for 4 years.

Dan was the youngest of twelve children, raised on a tobacco farm. Graduated from Gold Sands High School in 1950. After graduating worked for the railroad, until joining the U.S. Air Force, serving 8 years. It was while stationed at Grissom Air Force Base (Peru, Indiana), that he met & married Myrna Steinsberger, to whom he was married to for 65 years. After getting out of the Air Force, he went to work for GM in Marion Indiana's Fisher Body factory until 1986, when he retired and the family moved to the Austin, Texas area.

In retirement he continued his hobbies of gardening and raising rabbits, and sharing his knowledge about them with others. He was a respected member of the Central Texas Rabbit Club, & received their lifetime achievement award. His gardening skills were so respected that he was featured by Texas Gardener magazine for his red potatoes. In these circles he came to be known as Dan the Rabbit Man, and Dan the Potato man.

In his final years, as a favorite resident of the Pflugerville Care facility, he became known as the Dan the Candy Man.

Dan is survived by his children, Yvonne Leonard (Manor, TX), Mike Warren & wife Maryellen (Charlotte, NC), Dan V. Leonard & wife Audrey (Dayton, OH), Melinda Leonard, Manor, TX, Jason Leonard (Hutto, TX), and Lorilee Clawson & husband Rex, Granger, TX; grandchildren, Roxanna, Zac, Clark, Jacob & Pierce; great grandchildren, Saleen, Joseph, Cienna, and Gabe; along with numerous nieces and nephews.

Dan was predeceased by his wife Myrna Leonard; his brothers, Vernon Leonard, Garnold Leonard, Cooper Leonard, Russell Leonard, Jewel Leonard, Plummer Leonard, and Alfred Leonard; his sisters; Ruby Leonard McDonald, Bettie Leonard Thompson, Mary Joe Leonard, and Rachel Leonard Morgan.

Dan's sure hope for the future was:

Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out-John 5:28, 29

A memorial service will be held at a later date and forthcoming details will be added to Dan's online memorial at www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com once they are made available.