John Paul Leonard

John Leonard, 78, of Quincy MA, died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday after a brief illness. John was the second of four sons born to Albert and Mary Leonard, all raised in Hingham MA. Brother to Albert, deceased, Philip, and Brian. John was preceded in death by his wife Diane and is survived by his two sons, John and Thomas, two step-daughters Lori Stahl and Teri Anderson and two grandsons, Benjamin and Cameron.

After graduating from Boston College in 1966, John was drafted into the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Ord in California, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant before earning an honorable discharge.

After his time in the Army, John was a mainstay at South Shore Country Club. With a quick wit and a deft touch around the greens, John easily won friends and tournaments there. The latter despite the woods off to the right side of the 18th fairway swallowing many of his tee shots and more than a few of his clubs.

Creativity, a desire to be his own boss, and a gift with the written word led him to open his own advertising agency. For over thirty years JP/R Associates helped other small businesses in Massachusetts reach their intended audience. And while he may have started out manually creating advertisements using a drafting table, T-squares and stencils, John was an early adopter of the home computer, immediately realizing it's potential to transform his work.

Though illness slowed him down in his later years, John enjoyed visiting and Facetiming with his grandchildren, reconnecting with old friends, dinners with his family, and Law & Order.

Always a man of reason and good sense, John donated his body to Harvard Medical School in order to advance the research into chronic conditions such as COPD, from which he suffered.

A memorial service will be held at Saint Paul's church in Hingham, MA on Monday, July 11th at 10am. The family asks that you please consider making a donation in John's name to the COPD Foundation or SouthShoreHealth.org/Give.

The family would like to say a special thanks to the nurses and doctors of South Shore Hospital for their care and compassion during John's final days.