Leroy James Hook Jr.

Born and raised in Baltimore, he was the oldest of three children of Leroy James Hook, Sr. and Mildred (nee Hardy) Hook.

He worked for the B&O Railroad as a metalsmith prior to enlisting in the US Navy in 1942. Leroy was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia's Service School, where he was trained in welding and metalsmithing. In February 1943, he shipped out to Panama on 1 of 14 Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) ships as a Metalsmith First Class. Ultimately, Leroy was assigned to the USS Rigel. He traveled the South Pacific waters and ports of Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Bismarck, Archipelago and the Solomon Islands. In addition to welding, he piloted several LCI's to the beach.

On May 5, 1945, Leroy married Mary Anne Van Hollen of Baltimore in St. William of York Catholic Church in Baltimore, followed by a honeymoon in New York City, where they celebrated VE Day on May 7th with tens of thousands of jubilant revelers in the streets well into the night. This was the beginning of a 68-year marriage until his beloved Mary passed away in 2013.

Leroy and Mary spent their first months together stationed in Norfolk, VA until he was discharged on October 7, 1945. In February 1946, the first of 8 children was born, and in 1954 they moved to their home in Catonsville where they raised their growing family. He retired from AAI Corporation (now Textron) after over 30 years as a Mechanical Draftsman and Supervisor.

Leroy loved to learn and share his knowledge with friends and family. He was an excellent repairman and could fix almost anything in his basement workshop, but truly enjoyed creating,and sharing his skills, in art like decoupage, floral arrangements, and stained glass. Leroy was a draftsman, mechanic, welder, fisherman, crabber, gardener, artisan craftsman, entertainer, as well as a cook, church volunteer, and a Knights of Columbus and American Legion member. He spent countless hours transporting his children to their sporting events and cheering them on. He was an avid reader, whose favorite books were WWII stories which recalled some of the worst and the best times of his life.

Along with his wife, Mary, Leroy was predeceased by his brother, Francis, his son, Joseph and his daughter-in-law, Diane. He is survived by his children Louanne (Michael) Hennessy, James (Melissa), Stephen (Anita), Thomas (Tami), John, Patrick (Patricia) Hook and Margaret (Donald) Nicholson; his sister Verna Siford, his legacy of 56 grand-, great-, and great great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

A gathering for Leroy will be held Thursday, April 27, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Sterling-Ashton-Schwab-Witzke Funeral Home of Catonsville, Inc., 1630 Edmondson Ave, Catonsville, MD 21228. A gathering will occur Thursday, April 27, 2023 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, 1630 Edmondson Ave, Catonsville, MD 21228. A memorial mass will occur Friday, April 28, 2023 at 11AM at St Agnes Catholic Church, 5422 Old Frederick Rd, Baltimore, MD 21229. Interment will be 10:45AM, Monday, May 8th at the Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Chesapeake Bay Foundation https://www.cbf.org

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sterlingashtonschwabwitzke.com for the Hook family.