1940 - 2021
No Vistitation Date Scheduled
No Funeral Date Scheduled
John P. “Jack” Leonard, 80, of Lowell, beloved husband of Carol (Evans) Leonard, passed away peacefully on February 9, 2021. A lifelong resident of Lowell, Jack was born on June 13, 1940 to the late John F. Leonard and Mary (Linehan) Leonard.
Jack graduated from Lowell High School with the class of 1958 and went on to earn a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Lowell Technological Institute (now UMASS Lowell) and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.
Jack was blessed with two fulfilling careers. For 35 years, he was a well-respected and well-liked professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at Lowell Tech/University of Lowell/UMASS Lowell. A thoughtful and committed educator, his dedication to the profession earned him the esteem of colleagues and students alike and multiple outstanding teaching awards. A major highpoint and source of great pride occurred in 1996 when he guided a group of undergraduates to a first place finish in the MIT micromouse competition.
Following his retirement from UMASS Lowell in 2002, Jack worked for another 10 years as a software engineer at Raytheon in the Missile Systems Division where he enjoyed the challenge of learning and utilizing new computer languages. After retiring for a second time, Jack continued as Professor Emeritus at UMASS Lowell providing computer expertise to start-up projects, including an educational test bench for STEM experiments, and assisting students with senior capstone projects.
Jack was an avid walker and was seen almost daily on hikes around Belvidere, through the city on his way to UMASS Lowell, and along the Merrimack River. He also enjoyed local history, everything World War II, Saturday nights with his family solving the problems of the world over a bottle of wine, and Sunday afternoons watching the Patriots with the best neighbors anyone could ever want. He was a long-time communicant of Holy Family Parish.
Besides his wife of 56 years, he is survived by his daughter, Karen Allen and her husband, Kevin of Cromwell, CT; his daughter, Donna Crowther and her husband, Rich, of Redlands, CA; and his grandchildren, Katherine (Kai) Allen, Mikayla Allen, Carly Crowther and Richie Crowther. He is also survived by his sister, Marylou Malencik, his sister-in-law, Dorothy Evans, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Jack will always be remembered for his great singing voice, his wacky sense of humor, his big laugh, and his generosity. Always excited to share his knowledge, and recognizing his own good fortune to find passion in his work, Jack’s great hope for his grandchildren was that they learn to live his advice from a favorite Mark Twain quote – “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life”.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to St. Vincent de Paul, Holy Family Parish, 30 Grafton St., Lowell, MA 01852 or UTEC, 15 Warren St, Lowell, MA 01852.
The burial will be private. A memorial mass and celebration of Jack’s life will be held at a later date when his family and friends can gather together safely.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS BY DOLAN FUNERAL HOME 978-251-4041. Guest book at www.dolanfuneralhome.com.
Stephen Edwards
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Will always remember Hampton.
He will be missed.
Jeannie Sargent Judge
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Dear Carol,
I am sorry for your loss. Jack was a wonderful person, and I am happy that you had him in your life. My deepest sympathy to you and your family.
Jeannie (Sargent) Judge
John Sullivan
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So sorry to hear about your loss. Jack was a great friend and great neighbor. I have many fond memories of the good times on Hoyt Ave and Jack was a central figure in many of them. My sympathy to the Carol, Karen, Donna and the entire family.
Kerri (Jump) Montgomery
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Mrs Leonard, Karen, Donna and family
I am so sorry for your loss. I used to see your Dad walking everywhere! My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Kerri (Jump) Montgomery
Carl & Cindy Herrmann
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Carol, Karen, and Donna, My deepest sympathies for your loss. Jack was and likely will still be the life of the party. He will be missed at our family gatherings. Take comfort in knowing how deeply loved he was and know he is at peace. I’m sure he was greeted at the gates by multiple family members! Love to you all. Carl and Cindy
Tom and Paula Leonard
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Carol,Karen,Donna and Mary Lou,
So sorry to hear of Jacks passing our prayers for you all. Anyone that I ever met and asked them if they knew my cousin who taught at U of Lowell would usually echo his praises. I never heard a negative word about Jack. That is a tribute that can not be said of too many.
Elaine & Gregg Shirley
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To Carol, Karen, Donna – , our sincere condolences to you all. You have a wonderful family and I know you will all feel the love from your friends supporting you. <3
Richard Sweeney
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I am so sorry to hear of Jack’s death, it was always a pleasure to be around the whole family.
Edward Ciampa
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My name is Ed Ciampa and I graduated from UMass Lowell in 1973. I remember having Professor Leonard for lab and I always enjoyed waving “hi” to him as I walked past his office in Ball Hall. He was not only a good lab instructor but also a wonderful human being. I will miss him and will keep him in my prayers.
David Wunsch
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HI Edward: I remember you very well. You were among the first students I taught
and I liked having you in my class. ADW
Kate Linehan & Tom Evans
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MaryLou, Carol, Donna and Karen, we were so sorry to hear of Jackie’s passing. He will be missed. His good humor, ready smile and engaging manner made him an easy companion in any setting. We enjoyed talking with him, laughing with him and hearing of his latest project. His enthusiasm was infectious, and his kindness and gentle nature endeared him. We hope that your fond memories will sustain you right now. And we hope that his spirit will be felt in your lives going forward. Our love to you all. Kate & Tom
A. David Wunsch
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Jack and I taught together in the Electrical Engineering Dept. at Lowell Tech (later U Mass Lowell) from the time I joined in 1969 until we both retired in 2002. I liked him enormously.
He had a sharp and clever sense of humor and we had many interesting conversations. I’m sorry that I won’t run into him on our occasional visits to the department.
A. David Wunsch, Prof Emeritus
George and Kathi Cheney
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Carol, Karen, and Donna,
As you know Kathi and I were your neighbors in Lowell for 36 years. In fact, when we were ready to move from Ludlum street it was Jack who told me about a house for sale in Belvedere, a block away from yours.
For a while Jack and I would get together to play ping pong at each other’s houses, followed by sipping vodka and grapefruit juice. And we would often walk to and from school together.
As a student at Lowell Tech, I had Jack as my instructor when I took junior lab. Also, after joining him on the faculty, I taught a section of Circuit Theory recitation when Jack was the lecturer. He was well respected by his students as well as by his colleagues on the Electrical Engineering faculty. Furthermore, I remember Jack leading his students in their successful MicroMouse project, defeating teams from all the other schools. I remember too when he designed a popular new senior technical elective course based on a state-of-the-art automated test system.
Jack was always active and healthy. Kathi and I were shocked to hear about his death. I will miss seeing him on his visits to UML.
You have our sympathies and prayers…
George and Kathi Cheney
JANET E RICCI
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Dear Carol
Please accept my condolences on the passing of Jack. Hopefully, the memories of the many years you spent together will continue to live in your heart as God’s hand continues to bless you. LHS ’58 Classmate, Janet Sawyer (Ricci)
Dikshitulu Kalluri
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Please accept my condolences on the passing of Jack Leonard..
Jack and I had our offices on the fourth floor of Ball Hall and we used to run into each other many times in a week. I used to admire his strict schedule of early morning walk.
My Son Srinath and his daughter Donna were class mates at Lowell High School and were in the high school tennis teams. On one occasion Jack and I had a memorable conversation remembering Lowell High and the success of our children after graduation.
Dikshitulu Kalluri
Professor Emeritus .
Bren (Cawley) Stewart
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Dearest Carol, Donna and Karen.
I am so sorry to hear about Jack’s passing!! I will always remember his warmth and kindness – as my Godfather and treasured friend of our family. I promise you, my son Jack (now in Kuwait) is certainly a “Jack” in more than namesake.
My thoughts and prayers to you all, now as always,
— Bren (Cawley) Stewart
Kanti Prasad
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Carol Pl. accept my heart- felt condolences for a great loss. but it is God’s will, and we have to accept. I remember vividly when Jack came to my office on 9/11 completely shattered. He said ” Kanti do you know about towers hit by planes, if my daughter would not have change her schedule she would have been one” I felt I can’t teach, Bill Hogan closed the University.
As I shared this sad news with my son Achintya ” He said oh my god he was best professor I had in Circuit Theory”. This is the legacy Jack has left. May his soul rest in peace with God.
Sincerely’
Kanti
Bob Pothier
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I recently learned about the loss of Jack and was deeply saddened. I worked with Jack at Raytheon for many years and found him to have the passion of a youngster, the wisdom of an elder, and the grace of a gentleman. I have missed him since I retired in 2014 but was honored to know Jack and learn from him. Be it his fellow workers or his students at Lowell, his presence will never be forgotten. And lastly, he introduced me to a brand of wine that has become my favorite. I ask that when a memorial service date is established, I be notified so that I can properly give Jack I well deserved thank you. I listed my email with the funeral home.
Mindy
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Donna and family, I am just seeing this online. Sending condolences to you! Hugs and prayers at this difficult time!