John Leonas

John James Leonas, 91 died Thursday, April 7th at Sunrise Senior Living in Bloomingdale, Illinois following a long illness. He leaves his wife Mary of 68 years, daughters, Carol (Ken) Nicolai, Linda (Paul) Amrein, Kathy (Mike) Brandau, Debra (Don) Dean and son Jeffry (Patti) Leonas. He also leaves behind nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and all his siblings. John is a Veteran of World War II serving in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He grew up in Chicago the son of Anna and James Leonas and spent most of his life in East Hazel Crest and Manteno, Illinois. He was ordained a Deacon in the Diocese of Chicago on December 11, 1979. John served as Deacon for St. Anne's Parish in Hazel Crest and St. Joseph Parish of Manteno. He was active in the Knights of Columbus, Chaplain of the East Hazel Crest American Legion and Lifetime member of the V.F.W. As a Deacon he ministered to many people of the community and his devout faith continued to inspire others and was the cornerstone of his family. He retired from Northrup Grumman as a Contract Administrator heavily involved in the Stealth Bomber program. John's prior career included Chrysler Missile as an Engineer assigned to the Redstone Missile project and creating TPC Technical Products Corporated in his early career. As a Sergeant in the Army, John learned to play the drums and with his brothers-in-law formed the band Joe Fazio and his Men of Notes playing throughout the South suburbs of Chicago. In addition, John was an Arthur Murray Dance instructor and at many events he and his life dancing partner Mary glided across many a dance floor. His attention to detail and his creativity led to his patented "PortoHang" and "Lumalites". Visitation will be held Tuesday, April 12th at Woodruff- Zimny Funeral Home from 3-8pm -16774 Dixie Hwy - Hazel Crest, Illinois and Mass of Christian burial at 10:00AM on Wednesday April 13th at St. Anne's Church 16801 Dixie Hwy - Hazel Crest, Illinois followed by Interment at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. 708-335-0116 for questions.