Bruce Edward Leonard Jr.

Bruce E. (Eddie) Leonard, Jr.
1941-2025

Bruce Edward (Eddie) Leonard , Jr. was reunited in heaven with the Lord on August 16, 2025. He was born at home, 703 W. Houston Street, on October 12, 1941 to Bruce Edward Leonard and Helen Kathryn Manter. His maternal grandparents were Arnold Gerard Manter and Helen Seiders of Ohio and his paternal grandparents were Minerva Della Rittgers and William B. Leonard, both of Ohio.

Eddie grew up in a faithful and busy family which included 3 older siblings that predeceased him being Patricia Jean Leonard, William (Bill) Gerard Leonard and Joyce Elaine Leonard, in order of oldest to youngest. His father was involved in many local business endeavors and most notably, Leonard Funeral Home, which he established in 1931. Eddie purchased the Leonard Funeral Home from his father in 1974 and was the sole proprietor of Leonard Funeral Home from that time until 2019, marking 85 years of continuous operation under the Leonard family. He was a longtime member of the Texas Funeral Directors Association and was honored by them for his lifetime of achievements in 2022. Eddie especially cared for the generations of families he was honored and privileged to serve in the community over the years. Foremost to him was dignity, respect, compassion, care and treating all fairly and honestly.

Eddie had an active childhood in Carrizo Springs and was a good student. He participated in 4H, sports, scouts and the anthropology club along with many other activities while in high school. He graduated from high school in 1960 and attended Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, being the only member of his family to attend college. While at Trinity, he was designated a Distinguished Military Student in both his Junior and Senior years and was President of the Delta Pi Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega. He graduated from Trinity in 1964 and was commissioned into the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant on the same day. Later that year on December 22, 1964, he married the love of his life, Janice Anne Vivian from Carrizo Springs. They started their life together in the Army after he was called to active duty in January 1965. In 1968, after being honorably discharged from the Army, Eddie and Janice moved to Dallas where he enrolled in the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science. He graduated as the Valedictorian in 1968 and received the President's Award and Mu Sigma Alpha award for outstanding academic proficiency. Eddie and Janice then moved back to Carrizo Springs where he joined his father in the operation of Leonard Funeral Home.

Shortly after returning to Carrizo Springs, Eddie became the Red Cross representative for service to military families. He joined the Carrizo Springs Rotary Club, serving as a director and in many other offices of the club including serving as President twice. He became very interested in the student exchange program and became chairman of the local student exchange program and later served for many years on the District 584 Exchange Program as Co-Chairman. During this period, high school students from South Africa, Nova Scotia, Tasmania, and Denmark were hosted for a year at a time in Carrizo Springs where they attended the local high school. High School students from Carrizo Springs were sent to Australia and Brazil for a year of study.

During these years Eddie was also a director of the Chamber of Commerce in Carrizo Springs and served as president of the organization twice. He was active in the Dimmit County Junior Livestock Show Association, serving many years as a director,
superintendent, and as president of the organization twice. In recognition of his service to the community, the Dimmit County Chamber of Commerce presented Eddie with the Man of the Year Award in 2016.

He has been a board member of the Dimmit County Hospital Board, and later Dimmit Regional Hospital Board, for over thirty years serving as Chairman of the Board for much of that period. He also served as the Chairman of the Board of the Dimmit
County Regional Hospital District for many years since its inception and actively served on the Board until his passing.

Eddie has been a member of the First United Methodist Church in Carrizo Springs for over seventy years and has served as a Sunday school teacher, member and chairman of the administrative board, finance committee, pastor-parish relations committee and board of trustees.

Janice and Eddie had two sons, Bryan and Brandon, who both graduated from Carrizo Springs High school and Texas A&M University. Bryan and his wife D'Ann have two sons, Hollis Edward Leonard and William Cotton Leonard who also graduated from Texas A&M University. Brandon and his wife Vanessa along with their daughter, Taylor Danielle Leonard live in Dallas, TX.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the First United Methodist Church of Carrizo Springs, Texas.

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