George J. Leonard Jr., passed away peacefully on October 5, 2025, at Freedom Point Place in The Villages.
Bud, as he was known, was born in Hackensack, New Jersey on September 16, 1922, and was 103 years old at the time of his death. He was the oldest of six children born of George Leonard, Sr and Frieda Ammann Leonard. Bud graduated from Xavier High School in New York and enlisted in the Army in 1942 and served in the European Theatre during WWII as a radio operator. Upon his honorable discharge in 1945 he returned home and began a career in the construction industry in New York eventually becoming a project manager. Bud was an avid skier and golfer. Single for much of his life, he met his wife, Mary Eustace Leonard, while both were on a skiing trip and eventually married in 1994 in Dallas, Texas at age 72.
Bud and Mary moved to South Carolina and then to The Villages, Florida. Bud and Mary did not have children. Mary predeceased Bud in 2023. Bud out lived all of his brothers, Jack who died in WWII and Bill, Paul, Larry and sister, Mary Louise (Zeliff). Bud is survived by many Leonard and Zeliff nieces and nephews for whom he was the lifeguard during annual Leonard and Zeliff family vacations at the beach on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Bud and Mary took many cruises during their marriage and made long-lasting friends in The Villages. One of Bud’s proudest moments was making a hole in one on a Par 3 in his early 90’s. He stopped playing shortly thereafter. Bud was a member of American Legion Post 347 and a member of St Timothy Catholic Church in The Villages.
A funeral mass will be held on November 3, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. at St Timothy Catholic Church followed by inurnment of his and his wife, Mary’s ashes in the Columbarium at the Bushnell National Cemetery at 11:30 am. Full military honors will be provided by the Honor Guard of American Legion Post 347. Following the inurnment at the National Cemetery there will be a Celebration of Life Luncheon at The Legacy Restaurant at Nancy Lopez country Club in The Villages. Charitable contributions in memory of Bud Leonard may be made to St Timothy Catholic Church or to Xavier High School Alumni Annual Fund at 30 West 16th Street, New York, New York 10011.