Corwin DeWitt Leonard, age 98, of Willard, Ohio, passed away on June 25, 2021, at The Good Shepherd Nursing Home in Ashland, Ohio. He was born in Willard, Ohio, on October 15, 1922, to the late Albert P. and Eva M. (DeWitt) Leonard. Corwin served in the U.S. Army, retired from R.R. Donnelley and was a member of the Willard R.C. Fun Fliers Club. He enjoyed woodworking, camping, traveling, and most of all, spending time with his family.
Corwin built from scratch and flew himself two airplanes - a "Smith Mini-plane" (which was a single-seat bi-plane) and a single seat "Curtis Hawk P6E bi-plane. He sent for blueprints from the Smithsonian and scaled down the measurements himself for the shipping schooner "Avalon." It took him 18 years but finally completed it in 1995. Using a book that described the original Avalon, the original one had 23 planks along the side. His model has exactly 23 planks.
Left to cherish his memories are his 4 children, Linda (William) Moran of Willard, OH; Corinne Mills of Newark, OH; David (Hillary) Leonard of Norwalk, OH, and April (Bill) Breyman of Willard, OH; 11 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; 5 great-great grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife, Helen (Seiple) Leonard; daughter, Shirley Gibson; 2 great-grandchildren, Angelina and Joshua; and 5 siblings, Harry E. Leonard, Walter E. Leonard, Adrian L. Leonard, Raymond A. Leonard and Helen L. Ricketts.
The family would like to thank the V.A., Willard Fire Department EMT squads, Willard Mercy Hospital caregivers, Stein Hospice of Sandusky and Good Shepherd Resthome in Ashland for their patience and wonderful care. We especially want to give recognition to Diana Dupont of Comfort Keepers in Tiffin. Diana was Dad's caregiver for the last 3-4 years and she went above and beyond what anyone could expect. She did everything she could possibly do to make our Dad happy and safe. Besides cooking, cleaning, bandaging, taking him to appointments and just taking him for rides, she made him Happy. She has a wonderful sense of humor and they bantered back and forth. She thought of things he could do and enjoy like feeding the birds and squirrels since there were things he could no longer do. We love her and thank her for all the love she gave him. There aren't enough words to say how much we appreciate her. She has REALLY earned her angel wings!
There will be a private graveside service at a later date at Greenwood Cemetery in Willard, Ohio. Memorial contributions may be made to Stein Hospice in Sandusky, Ohio, or the American Cancer Society. Online condolences may be made to his family by visiting www.secorfuneralhomes.com