Captain Joseph Brian Leap, CEC, USN (Ret)

Brian was born in Portage, Pennsylvania, the son of Kyle and Winifred Bearer Leap.

After graduating from Portage High School, Brian attended the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown before transferring to the University’s main campus in Pittsburgh. He graduated with honors from Pitt School of Engineering with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1961. After graduation, he attended Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island and was commissioned as a Naval Officer in 1962, marking the beginning of a long and distinguished career dedicated to serving his country.

On August 25, 1962, Brian married the love of his life, the former Jane E. Little. Their life together began with an adventure, as their honeymoon consisted of driving across the United States to California, where Brian was stationed with the Navy.

During his military career, Brian served in Vietnam and was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal. Following his service in Vietnam, Brian was honorably discharged from the Navy and his family moved to Pittsburgh, where he worked for Pittsburgh Plate Glass for approximately eighteen months. The Navy asked him to return to active duty as the commanding officer of the Mobile Construction Training Facility in Gulfport, MS. Brian’s career with the Civil Engineer Corps of the United States Navy took him and his family to numerous duty stations throughout the United States and overseas.

Among his assignments, he served as Commanding Officer at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, where he began his career as a Seabee. The Navy would also take the family to Rhode Island, California, Washington, D.C., Subic Bay, Philippines and Virginia. After many years of dedicated and honorable service to his country, Brian retired from the United States Navy as a well decorated Captain.

Brian enjoyed a second career after his Navy retirement, spending many years with Fluor Daniel in Washington, DC.

Following second retirement, Brian and Jane moved to Palm Coast, where they enjoyed the next chapter of their life together.

A proud native of Western Pennsylvania, Brian never lost his love for Pittsburgh and its sports teams. He was an avid fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Pittsburgh Steelers, but he held an especially strong affection for the University of Pittsburgh and proudly followed Pitt athletics throughout his life.

Above all, Brian was devoted to his family. He treasured the many years he shared with Jane and took great pride in his children and grandchildren. His life was marked by service to his country, dedication to his family, and the friendships and memories made during a remarkable life that took him around the world and across the country.

Brian leaves his wife of 64 years, Jane L. Leap; three children, Jeffrey (Ben Teague) Leap of Key West, Florida, Krista Leap of Apex, North Carolina, and Craig (Tracy Fearon) Leap of Virginia Beach, Virginia; three grandchildren, Olivia Leap, Audrey Leap, and Kelly Ann Gould; one sister, Lauren Leap; and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Brian was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Kyle Franceschini.

Family and friends will be received Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Santa Maria del Mar Catholic Church, where a Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m.

Interment with full military honors will take place at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Brian’s honor to the Home - Navy Seabee Foundation. https://seabee.org/

Donations may also be made to the Capt. Brian and Jane Leap Student Fund at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. Checks should be made payable to The University of Pittsburgh, with "Capt. Brian and Jane Leap Student Fund" noted in the memo line, and mailed to:

University of Pittsburgh

PO Box 640093

Pittsburgh, PA 15264-0093

Condolences may be sent to the Leap family by visiting Craig-Flagler Palms Funeral Home’s website.