Benny
Joe Leonard Sr., age 79, of Blaine, Tennessee, (and Morristown, Tennessee in
his youth) passed away Sunday, September 21, 2014, after a battle with
cancer. Ben, also known as Joe or BJ to his friends, is survived by his wife
of 60 years, Gladys, and four children: Timothy W. Leonard Sr. of IN, Harry
L. Leonard of SC, Benny J. Leonard Jr. of TN., and Amy (and husband Howard)
Hammel of Ohio. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren, and five
great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by a great-granddaughter,
Alysia Lynn Leonard. Ben was a veteran of the Vietnam War, having served in
the United States Air Force, where he earned several medals for his
dedication and bravery, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air
Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the U.S. Vietnam Service Medal,
the Presidential Unit Citation, and too many more to name. He was a proud
member of the C-7A Caribou Assoc. [457th]. In later years, Ben
worked for the U.S. Post Office and enjoyed meeting and getting to know the
people of the communities in which he worked. It was often said that he
never met a stranger. Services were held at Smith-Reagan Funeral Home in
Rutledge, Tennessee, Thursday, Sept. 25. Ben had a special place in
his heart for charities that help others and the family has requested that
in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to a local charity helping low-income
cancer patients in East Tennessee: Compassion in Action, Attn: Janine Mingie,
3201 Chantilly Dr., Knoxville, TN 37917; for credit card donations, please
call (865) 607-9664.
Benny
Joe Leonard Sr., age 79, of Blaine, Tennessee, (and Morristown, Tennessee in
his youth) passed away Sunday, September 21, 2014, after a battle with
cancer. Ben, also known as Joe or BJ to his friends, is survived by his wife
of 60 years, Gladys, and four children: Timothy W. Leonard Sr. of IN, Harry
L. Leonard of SC, Benny J. Leonard Jr. of TN., and Amy (and husband Howard)
Hammel of Ohio. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren, and five
great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by a great-granddaughter,
Alysia Lynn Leonard. Ben was a veteran of the Vietnam War, having served in
the United States Air Force, where he earned several medals for his
dedication and bravery, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air
Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the U.S. Vietnam Service Medal,
the Presidential Unit Citation, and too many more to name. He was a proud
member of the C-7A Caribou Assoc. [457th]. In later years, Ben
worked for the U.S. Post Office and enjoyed meeting and getting to know the
people of the communities in which he worked. It was often said that he
never met a stranger. Services were held at Smith-Reagan Funeral Home in
Rutledge, Tennessee, Thursday, Sept. 25. Ben had a special place in
his heart for charities that help others and the family has requested that
in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to a local charity helping low-income
cancer patients in East Tennessee: Compassion in Action, Attn: Janine Mingie,
3201 Chantilly Dr., Knoxville, TN 37917; for credit card donations, please
call (865) 607-9664.