John Robert McLeod, age 84, of Longwood, FL passed away April 27, 2024 of congestive heart failure. He was born on July 6, 1939 in Laurel Mississippi to Earl and Ursula McLeod. He married the love of his life, Joyce Evelyn Curry in November of 1960, sharing 59 happy years with her until her passing, and raising two sons, Jonathan and Jeffrey.
John was a warm and loving soul who valued his family ahead of all else. He was without doubt the foundation and keystone to his family. Patient and kind, he always seemed to have the solution to whatever problem presented itself. He was an only child but loved the family that he married into and took them as his own. He had many close relationships but loved pranking his sister-in-law Pam and being a surrogate father to his niece through marriage, Rhonda. His grandchildren became the center of his world. He loved watching them grow and celebrated all their accomplishments, big or small.
John learned the importance of family and work at a young age. He lost his father at the age of 10 and immediately went to work on a paper route to help his mother, whom he adored. He worked many different jobs as a young man and put himself through college—the epitome of a self-made man. As an adult, he worked for the Chrysler Corporation for almost 40 years—the only company he worked for after graduating from college. He started his career as a management trainee and retired as the Zone Manager of Real Estate for the Southeast. John had great success in the auto industry. He won many awards for setting sales records and was a central figure in leading Chrysler back to success after their near collapse in the 1970’s. At the time of John’s retirement, over half of all new construction for Chrysler was under his management.
John had a love for all things wine and enjoyed sharing his latest finds with family and friends. He had a particular love for champagne gaining the title of “Bubbles” from his friends in the Alliance of the Sommeliers. John regularly hosted a legendary Champagne Tasting every December, one of the Alliance’s best attended events. Dad loved to share wine from his cellar and stories from his past, whenever anyone came to visit. He had a great knack for picking wines that would age well but somehow the stories always seemed to age best. In the finest of Scottish traditions, he proved there is no story that cannot be improved with each telling.
Above all, the love of his life was his wife, Joyce. They met at their confirmation into the Methodist Church when he was in the 4th grade, and she was in in 3rd. They began dating in high school and were inseparable from then until Joyce’s passing in 2020. You could not know one without knowing the other. They complemented each other in every way. They shared a love for music and were avid supporters of the Orlando Philharmonic. John eventually joined the Board of Directors, helping to plan their growth for over a decade. Dad cared for Mom through an 11-year battle with Alzheimer’s, never wavering and being completely devoted to her care. He showed nothing but love and patience as her diseased progressed. His heart was never whole after her passing, so we all take great joy in knowing they are together again in the presence of the Lord.
John is survived by his sons, Jonathan (Christine) and Jeffrey, grandchildren Nichole, Matthew, Katie, Alexander, and Sarah.
The viewing will be Friday, May 10th, 5:00 at Oaklawn Park Cemetery, 5000 County Road 46A, Sanford, FL 32771. A service celebrating his life will be held at the same location at 11:30 am, Saturday May 11th. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.6