John F. “Jack” Leonard

John F. “Jack” of Weymouth passed away holding his wife’s hand and surrounded by his loving family on December 21, 2023. He was 88 years old.

Jack was the beloved husband for nearly 64 years to Janet M. Leonard (Brooks) of Weymouth. He was a loving father to Michael Leonard of Portland, ME and former wife Lois Leonard of Dedham, Kelly Zack and her husband John of Hopkinton, Mark Leonard and his wife Elizabeth of Scituate, Julie Piantedosi of Canton, and the late Christopher Leonard, and his widow Colleen of Hanson.

While Jack played many roles in life, his greatest joy and the role he was made for was that of a grandfather. He was the best Papa ever to Amanda, Molly, Marykate, Emma, Jackson, Aidan, Dylan, Griffin, Clayton, Tess, Avery, Cameron, Shaelyn, and Sarah. The arrival of his first great-grandchildren, Mia and Olivia, only added to Jack’s joy.

He was the brother of the late Mary Lou Reilly, Kathleen D’Errico, Patricia, Robert, Francis, and Charles Leonard. Jack will also be missed by many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends far and wide.

Born in Holyoke and raised in Hyde Park, Jack was the son of the late Francis and Eileen Leonard (Duston). He attended St. Matthews Catholic School in Dorchester, but his heart belonged to Hyde Park. Referring to himself as a “graduate” of Ross Field, he built a lifelong, tight-knit group of friends. At the insistence of his uncle, Father Bill Leonard, who recognized something special in Jack, it was off to BC High, which became an integral and passionate part of his life. Then, on to Boston College, where he graduated in 1956, earning the exalted rank of a “Double Eagle.”

Following college, Jack attended OCS and became an ensign in the Navy, serving on aircraft carriers. Over the next 20 years, he served in the Naval Reserves, retiring as a full commander, all the while continuing to grow his network of lifelong friends.

One of Jack’s first jobs was with Stop & Shop. One fortuitous day he found a photograph in a potato bin – it was of Muffie Brooks, who he would soon learn was his sister Mary Lou’s best friend. He was immediately smitten, and their love story began. They were married on February 27, 1960.

Always a passionate film buff, Jack’s most rewarding career move in every way was joining the General Cinema Corporation, thoroughly enjoying his time there for over 20 years, retiring as their Vice President of Marketing.

Jack was also a friend of Bill W for the last 58 years. It cannot be understated what this fellowship meant to Jack in every way. He touched hundreds of lives and had a lasting and profound impact on all those he came into contact with. The love pouring in from his fellow friends of Bill W is overwhelming.

Always a voracious reader, often having two or three books going at once, he relished his book club buddies and their time together. He was a prodigious consumer of music in every form, with a particular affinity for Irish ballads, Harry Belafonte and Edith Piaf. Nothing made Jack happier than kayaking on Cape Cod or Longboat Key in Florida or simply walking the beaches looking for shells. He took up skiing in his 60s, venturing out west to Utah several times, and was rollerblading the streets of Sarasota well into his 70s. For his 70th birthday, he went skydiving with his son Michael.

Jack had beaten cancer twice already, battling leukemia in the 80s and another bout of cancer in the 90s. The man who seemed intent on defying aging, and who we thought might live forever, was ultimately felled by this disease.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to greet the family during the visiting hours on Friday, 12/29, from 4-8 PM in the McDonald Keohane Funeral Home SOUTH WEYMOUTH at 809 Main Street. The Funeral Mass will be at Immaculate Conception Church, Weymouth, on Saturday, 12/30, at 10:30 AM. Interment will be held privately.

On March 11, 2016 Jack was given the prestigious St. Ignatius of Loyola Award, the highest honor bestowed on a graduate of BC High, acknowledging those who have exemplified the ideals of the school through high moral character and selfless service to the community.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Jack’s memory to the Emergency Financial Aid Fund at Boston College High School, 150 Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester, MA 02125, or www.bchigh.edu/give.