Eugene L. Leonard's Obituary
Eugene Lowell Leonard (March 5, 1918 – July 13, 2018) Eugene Lowell Leonard lived the kind of life chronicled in novels. Born in Lyons, Kansas, in 1918, his family fell into the grip of the Great Depression when he was just a child. At 12, he started trapping animals and selling their pelts to help put food on the table and keep his five sisters fed. As a teen, he learned how to fly airplanes. And in his early 20s, he enlisted in the U.S. Marines. On Dec. 7, 1941, Eugene was among the men and women stationed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese bombs started falling. It would become a defining moment in his life. But his story had only just begun. After World War II, Eugene settled down with his wife, Bobbie Waldron. They raised four children and bought a home in Chula Vista, California. There, Eugene’s life took a somewhat more domestic turn. He built a business fixing cars. He went to church every Sunday. And he spent hours fishing and hunting. Although Eugene’s family will happily share his stories of survival and perseverance, they will remember him for the man he was every day in private: A man who loved his God, his country and his family. He believed in hard work and a firm handshake – and he was stubborn until the end. (He wanted to live until 100 years old, and he did.) He died July 13. He is survived by three of his children, Donald, Kathy and Mary, eight grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. He will be missed. Services will be held at 10 a.m., Aug. 4 at Greenwood Memorial Park, 4300 Imperial Ave., San Diego.
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