Marlborough – Edward P. Leonard Sr., 87, of Marlborough and formerly of Guilderland, N.Y. and Atlanta, Ga., died on May 19, 2021, surrounded by his loving family, after an 11-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
He was born in Troy, N.Y., the son of the late John J. and Julia (Slattery) Leonard. He graduated from Catholic Central High, class of 1952. He earned his BS from Sienna College, class of 1956, with a double major in math and physics.
Ed married Mary Margaret (Hinchey) Leonard on Aug. 10, 1957, who died in 1965. He joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany as an Artillery Officer and Honorably discharged in 1959 as a 1st LT.
He was employed by IBM where he worked for 34 years in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Albany, N.Y.; and Atlanta, Ga. He worked in the lab as a System Engineer and System Engineering Unit Manager, as well as Division Manager of Marketing Practices.
He married Janis (Manny) Leonard in 1967 and divorced in 2001.
Ed enjoyed golf, gardening, reading, ping pong, riding his John Deere, and, most of all, spending time with his family. He was quite an accomplished ping pong player and would often comment how he could beat all his children left-handed. After retirement in 1984 he had 2 holes-in-one on the golf course. His vegetable gardens were the talk of the neighborhood and loved traveling to watch his sons play college soccer, and volunteering at his granddaughter’s school.
Ed is survived by his seven children, Edward P. Leonard Jr. and his wife Ellen of Marlborough, Paul Leonard, Petty Officer 2nd Class USN (RET) of San Diego, CA, Michael Leonard, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer (RET) and his wife Kyong Cha of Sierra Vista, AZ., Mary Elizabeth Peat and her husband John of Atlanta, GA, Matthew Leonard, Lt Col USAF (RET) and his wife Kim of Loomis, CA, Mark Leonard and his wife Air of Bangkok, Thailand, and Kelly Leonard and her husband Dominique Loumaye of Madrid, Spain; 11 grandchildren, Edward Leonard III of CT, Mary Margaret Leonard of NE, Elizabeth Leonard of NJ, Maj. Matthew Leonard and his wife Barbara, currently stationed in the Netherlands, Jason Leonard, currently stationed in Moscow, Russia, Bora Leonard and her husband Brett Maunu of TX, Jeannie Leonard of Korea, Savannah Peat of NM, Lindsey Grant and her husband Maj. Jared Grant of NC, Madison Leonard of CA and Pvt Nicholas Leonard currently stationed in HI; three great-grandchildren, James, Andrew and Charlotte, as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, John Leonard, and two sisters, Mary Esmay and Patricia Harley.
Calling hours were held May 23 at the Short & Rowe Funeral Home of Marlborough. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, May 24, at 11 a.m., in Immaculate Conception Church, 11 Prospect St., Marlborough. Following cremation, burial will be in the family lot in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery, Albany, NY at a later date.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in Ed’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 North Michigan Avenue, Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601.
