Leo A. LeBel

1943 - 2025

Leo A. LeBel
Beloved husband, father, brother, and friend, Lt. Col. Leo A. LeBel, RN, CRNA, APRN, BSN, M.Ed., JD, U.S. Army Nurse Corps (Ret.), died September 21, 2025, in Stratford, CT, from complications after a fall. He was 82.
Born March 17, 1943, in Manchester, NH, to Yvonne (Cote) and Toussaint "Tony" Le Bel, Leo welcomed brother, Andre (TX), in 1945. As a child, Leo appeared on Manchester's WMUR-TV children's show S.S. Glendora with lifelong friend, Roland Bilodeau (predeceased), and host Glendora Buell (survives), with whom he happily reconnected in his later years.
Leo graduated from Bishop Bradley High School in 1960, studied business at Boston College, then transferred to Sacred Heart Hospital School of Nursing, where he was one of New Hampshire's first three male nurses-and the only man in his class. There, he met his love, Theresa "Terry" Brodeur of Penacook, NH; they married on April 8, 1967, and shared 58 years together.
After graduating in 1965, Leo entered active duty, trained as a nurse anesthetist at Walter Reed, and served with the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Vietnam, arriving the night of the Tet Offensive, spending his first night under a mattress, then working over 30 hours straight treating the wounded. While overseas, he learned of the early birth of daughter, Christine, in Feb. 1968, but did not meet her until she was almost one.
Beloved son, Robert, soon joined the family in 1970. Leo then earned his BSN from St. Anselm College in 1972 and, while stationed in Germany, an M.Ed. from Boston University in 1974, both with high honors.
He retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel in 1984, after 20 years of service, with tours in NH, MD, Germany, TX, and WA. He earned a JD from the University of Puget Sound in 1987, then became Director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program for Southern CT State University and Bridgeport Hospital, later serving at the Chicago headquarters of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists before returning to CT to continue clinical practice.
Leo was highly respected in his field, administering anesthesia, teaching, writing numerous articles and textbook chapters, and serving in various leadership roles with the AANA and multiple nursing associations over decades. Ever hard-working, with a lively mind, everyone thought he would never retire, but he finally hung up his scrubs, leaving Griffin Hospital in Derby, CT, in 2013. He remained active in his professional organizations until 2022.
Leo was a proud son, husband, father, brother, veteran, teacher, French Canadian, Catholic, HAM radio enthusiast, amateur astronomer, crossword afficionado, news junkie, pun spinner, and lover of a good gin-and-tonic and mystery novel. Known for his humor, generosity, and curiosity, he inspired generations of nurses with his mentorship. He will be deeply missed by Terry, Christine, Robert, Andre, Glendora, and all who knew him.
The family deeply thanks the 3rd-floor staff at Lord Chamberlain Rehabilitation and CT Hospice for their excellent care.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, October 1, 10:00AM, at St. Lawrence Church, 505 Shelton Ave., Shelton, CT, with later interment at the NH State Veterans Cemetery. Donations may be made to St. Anselm College, the Connecticut Nurses Foundation, or a charity of your choice.