Leonard Wayne Strother

Leonard was the third child born to Howard and Hersel Strother, who have predeceased him. He is survived by a brother, Louis Strother, sister-in-law, Cathy Moore Strother, his sister, Betty Waller, two nieces, Kristen and Stephanie, a grand-nephew and a grand-niece.

Leonard attended TMR Classes at Cary and graduated in 1982. After graduation, Leonard was employed by the fledgling Life Experiences, Inc., which today operates five small businesses employing adults with developmental disabilities while at the same time providing valuable services and products to the community. During Leonard's tenure Life Experiences acquired a new facility with tremendous community support and since 2002 it has been operating with 15,000+ square feet of state-of-the-art work areas, classrooms and multipurpose space. In addition, the grounds offer a comfortable setting for its employees to relax and engage in recreation.

Leonard's career with Life Experience, Inc., spanned more than 25 years, during which he worked in several of the businesses. He started his career watering and growing bean sprouts which Life Experiences packaged and sold to grocers and restaurants in the Wake County area. Later he moved into the bakery – a plum job for someone who had a life time love affair with food. Just to be working around the smell of the baked goods every day endeared him to his job; getting paid for the privilege made all the better. Long after he retired in 2009, Leonard regaled friends and family with stories of baking bread, making cookies, bragging on the best brownies any where in these parts. He was always happy to demonstrate how to roll dough into balls for the proofing ovens and encouraged his audiences to follow along. In his later years, felt sure he could train all who would listen how to "make bread."

Leonard enjoyed working in the Life Experience commercial laundry and especially excelled in the contracting services working on the box folding project. He was the fastest of all the box folders – some thought it was because the finished product bore a strong resemblance to a pizza box, pizza being his favorite food.

But whichever business and whatever the job, Leonard poured his heart and soul into Life Experiences. He loved the Staff and his fellow employees and was proud of the goods and services they all worked hard to provide the community. And he was just as enthusiastic for the many social activities Life Experiences provided its employees so they could bond outside the workplace.

Leonard's 25 years of work and fellowship at Life Experiences spanned nearly half of his short life and provided endless fond memories during his retirement.

Following his retirement, Leonard lived with his siblings and his Daddy, until he passed away in 2011, on their three-generation family farm, aptly identified as "Strother Farm," located adjacent to Bashford Road, between Raleigh and Cary where Leonard and many of his neighbors and passersby enjoyed watching the antics of the farm animals, especially the llamas and baby lambs and donkeys as they romp and play. He could watch the farm life he loved when he walked the winding path to the loving home he shared with his sister, and from the special place that was "Leonard's Man Cave" where he spent countless hours engaging in his favorite quiet time activities alone, or with any one of his beloved caregivers. He loved painting his velvet fuzzy posters, watching a dvd or video from his lifetime collection or playing his own version of pool. When you played pool with Leonard, you had to learn to play by his unorthodox rules.

Leonard loved life, he loved people, he loved to travel, he loved to play slot machines, he loved little babies. But most of all, Leonard loved his family, including his caregivers Maria, Andrea, and the Flores Family.

Leonard's family is extremely indebted to Vanessa, Tino and Martha Flores, Daniel Morales, Karina and Angel Trujillo and Jose Olvera for making the last few years fun-filled, well-traveled loving and safe for Leonard. They truly have been God's blessing to the Strother family.

A Celebration of Leonard's Life will be held Friday, April 19, 2019, at Brown Wynne Funeral Home, 200 S.E. Maynard Road, Cary, NC 27513. Visitation with family and friends will be from 3:00 p.m.; the Service will begin at 4:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations in remembrance of Leonard should be made to Life Experiences, Inc., 260 Towerview Ct, Cary, NC 27513.