Leo Gerard Petit

**PLEASE NOTE: THE REQUIEM MASS FOR LEO HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY (FEBRUARY 13, 2025) at 11:15 AM AT THE IMMACULATA.

VISITATION WILL BE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON (FEBRUARY 12, 2025) FROM 2:00-4:00 PM AT PIPER FUNERAL HOME FOLLOWED BY A ROSARY AT 5:20 PM AT THE IMMACULATA**

Leo Petit passed to his Eternal Reward on February 6, 2025, after a short, but aggressive battle with cancer. Having received the Last Sacraments and being surrounded by his loved ones, he died as he lived-in a spirit of self-sacrifice and prayer.

On a cool October day in 1960, in Keene, NH, Roger and Irene Petit were surprised to welcome the cheekiest little boy and his identical twin sisters into the world—the 7th,8th and 9th children of the already large Petit clan. The family moved to Hudson Falls, NY where Leo spent a good portion of his childhood with a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous grin on his face, teasing his sisters, plotting with his brothers, and earning his mother her white hair and his father his bald head!

He graduated from high school in 1978, enlisted in the Marines the next day and remained in service until 1981. These were some of the most meaningful years of his life, because, while he served his country, he found a new appreciation for his Catholic faith and met the love of his life, Denise, through his Marine buddy, her brother Eddie.

Inseparable as always, Leo and “his Bride”, as he always referred to her, were married in April of 1983. As the family began to grow, Leo became more and more aware of his duties as a Catholic husband and father. In 1988, he and Denise made the decision to move their family of 5 to a small hub of the Catholic faith in St. Mary’s, Ks, where his family grew not only in the Faith, but also in size!

Leo quickly became well known in the community for his hardworking ethic. As a jack-of-all trades and a master of them ALL, Leo made his mark on this city, first as the owner of the Aqua Shoppe, then as a cook and maintenance man at the Academy, a self-employed plumber, the manager of a grocery store, a newspaper delivery man to the entire area, a Frito-Lay packer and an ammunitions inspector at Angel Fire. Anyone who knew him admired his straightforward attitude and common sense.

He could talk for hours about Mustangs, the Yankees, the Marines and the Catholic Church .He loved to give life advice and made people laugh with his dry sense of humor. But the most important things to him were his Faith and his family. He left a legacy behind. Leo is survived by the love of his life, Denise and their 14 living children: Heather (Alfredo) Rodriguez, Tanya Twombly (Jeff ), Colette , Andrea (Eric) Rodriguez, Clare (Gabe) Dagenais, Joseph , Camille (Nico) Jones, Daniel, Celine, Roger (Madison),Nicolas , Marie (Will)Peek, Denise(David), Joan (Jonas). He will be so missed by all of his grandchildren: Lucy, Monica, Micaela, Susy, Gaby Rodriguez; Sam and Wade Twombly; Amir and Ava King; Violeta, Rafael and Ana Rodriguez; Ollie and Archie Dagenais; Noah, Nico, Makenna, Zaire Jones; Ruth and Isaac Petit; Aurora and Roger Petit Jr; and Axel Peek and the two unborn grandchildren due to arrive in this year. He is also survived by his mother, Irene, and 8 of his brothers and sisters, numerous nieces and nephews as well as his childhood friend, Frank Simione. He was preceded in death by his father Roger Petit and sister Marguerite, his two sons Benedict and Aaron, and his two granddaughters Mia and Evie.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, from 2:00 - 4:00 PM at Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple St. in St. Marys, Kansas. The Rosary will be recited for Leo at 5:20 PM on Wednesday, at the Immaculata, 701 N. 2nd St. in St. Marys. A requiem mass will be offered at 11:15 AM on Thursday, February 13, also at The Immaculata. Burial with military honors will follow in Our Lady of Peace Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations for Gregorian masses for Leo's soul and to aid with the funeral expenses.