Paul Charles Leonard, Jr

Paul Charles Leonard Jr. passed away on April 11, 2020 from cancer he was 74. Paul was born December 25, 1945 in Boston, Mass to Dr. Paul and Ann Leonard. He grew up in Clearwater, FL and was raised in the Catholic Church, serving as an altar boy during his youth. He joined the United States Marine Corps in August 1965 and served in Vietnam until 1969 with the Black Knights Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 as an aviation ordinance man. During his time there the squadron was awarded Chief of Naval Operations Aviation Safety Award (1968), the Hanson Trophy for best Fighter Attack Squadron in USMC (1969), Commandant’s Efficiency Trophy (1969 and ’70) and the Meritorious Unit Commendation for outstanding performance (1970). After an Honorable Discharge he attended St. Petersburg College during which time he met his wife Sharon. He attended the University of Florida, earning an engineering degree in materials and metallurgy. Paul and Sharon lived in several states in the Southeast before settling in Lakeland in 1978 where he worked for IMC (now Mosaic) until retiring in November 2014. He was very involved with his children, participating in many of their activities. He coached baseball and soccer, was a Boy Scout leader, and attended band and dance recitals which also led to his love of classical music. Ever the teacher, he passed on his love of “tinkering”, tools and engineering to his two sons as together they remodeled and added to their house, kept a few Volkswagens running and created numerous woodworking projects throughout the years. He enjoyed attending his daughter’s dance recitals and even participated on stage with her in a version of the Nutcracker. After 37 years of marriage, Sharon passed away from cancer. A few years later Paul met Terri and the two quickly became inseparable. Paul and Terri spent the last several years travelling around the Southeast and spending time with their families. Paul was preceded in death by his wife Sharon Leonard. He is survived by three children, Patrick (Karrie) Leonard, Matthew (Jessica) Leonard and Amanda (Anthony) Fox; wife, Terri; brother, Edward (Jane) Leonard and sister, Rosemary (Tom) Bauknecht; and four grandchildren, Aidan, Chloe, Addison and Grayson along with several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to FoldsofHonor.org or TunnelToTowers.org Due to current events family and friends will gather at a later date for a military funeral service.