John Emmett Leonard

JOHN EMMETT LEONARD, our loving and caring, husband, brother, father, grandfather, uncle and friend passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on September 29, 2002. John was born December 31, 1928 in Shawnee, OK to Catherine Greer Leonard and John William Leonard. He spent the early years of his life in Denver, CO and Wichita Falls, TX and was an avid multi-talented athlete who became a high school wrestling champion, college basketball and baseball player, as a semi-pro baseball player. He married Illa Daniel on July 19, 1951 and after serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, completed a Master's of Science degree in Mathematics at North Texas University. His love of Mathematics and problem solving led him to a career in automated data processing at the beginning of the evolution of the computer age. He moved to the Houston area in 1960 and followed his passion to NASA where he served 27 years and was one of the many unsung heros and pioneers of the manned space flight program at the Johnson Space Center. John is preceded in death by his mother and father. His survived by his wife Illa Daniel Leonard, son John Daniel Leonard, daughter Wilma Kathryn Dailey, sisters Dorothy Leonard Davis and Cathy Hoehne, brother-in-law W. Fred Davis, daughter-in-law Teresa June Leonard, granddaughters Laura Jean Leonard, Adrienne Danielle Kinser and Erin Mesloh Nicholson and her husband Keith Nicholson, niece Cynthia Anne Davis and nephews Michael Lee Davis and Eric Hoehne. Always known as an eternal optimist who looked for the best qualities in his fellow man, John was the most caring, loving and genuine humanitarian anyone could ever meet. He founded the Houston Area Parkinson's Society Golf Association that conducted golf tournaments for Parkinson's disease patients around the world. John was a member of the Clear Lake Methodist Church. He is loved by everyone he touched and will be greatly missed on earth but will always be with us in spirit. Visitation will be at the Jeter Memorial Funeral Home in Friendswood, TX on Wednesday October 02, 2002 at 1:00 p.m. and immediately followed by a service in the funeral home chapel at 2:00 p.m. Burial will be at Forest Park East on the Gulf Freeway in Webster, TX. Donations can be made to the Houston Area Parkinson's Society, 1475 West Gray, Suite 175, Houston, Texas 77019.