Leo L. Leonard

Leo L. Leonard
November 23, 1919 - May 3, 2021
San Diego
Leo L Leonard passed away May 3rd in his home in Del Cerro at 101 years in age of natural causes with his wife of 75 years, Ann Leonard, by his side. Leonard was born on Nov. 23, 1919, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. One of 14 children in his Presbyterian family, he grew up fascinated with the airplanes he saw flying overhead as a boy. In his 20s, he got his pilot's license and eventually followed his brothers out to San Diego in 1939. When World War II began, he joined the Army Air Corps and worked as an instructor for B-25 bombers and other planes. After the war, he briefly flew cargo for the Flying Tiger Line and in 1946 was hired as instructor for the Friedkin School of Aeronautics in San Diego run by Kenny Friedkin. Initially, all of the school's students were war veterans spending their G.I. bill money on flight lessons. But when that money petered out and Friedkin ran out of students in 1949, he came up with the idea of starting his own airline with his instructors. Leonard, who would come to own 40% of the company's shares as director of flight operations, was at the controls of a leased war surplus Douglas DC-3 plane for PSA's maiden flight to Oakland on May 6, 1949. Leo enjoyed his tenure flying for PSA airlines for 30 years. He was also an avid Marathon runner who prided himself on his fitness. But FAA rules at the time did not allow pilots to fly past the age of 60-1/2. Leo fought this policy but lost and ended up retiring well before his wishes. So he decided to start another business and he bought a 550 acre cattle ranch in Powell Butte, Oregon and spent a lot of time while not with family in San Diego as a rancher herding cattle, bailing hay and delivering calves in the winter. He owned and ran this ranch for over a decade and had a very hard time parting ways when the time came as he had grown very fond of the area and his nearby cowboy ranch hands and neighbors. Leo also very much enjoyed music especially songs by Frank Sinatra and he was known to sing to people at parties with his favorite song being " My Way". In Leo's last few days of his life his family played the song on their cell phone and placed it in his ear to listen. Leo very faintly sang every word of this song while conducting his hands like a conductor. Leo is survived by Wife Ann, Daughter Lisa and Angela, Grandson Lucas, Wife Jamie, Great Grand Children Logan and Lauren and Daughter in Law Carmen Leonard. In Lieu of flowers please consider sending donations to the San Diego Aerospace Museum in dedication to Captain Leo L. Leonard https://sandiegoairandspace.org/support/donate/donate