William "Bill" Paul Leonard

William Paul Leonard, 75, died peacefully on June 3, 2026, after a 15+ years long difficult journey of a myriad of health problems. Born in Findlay, Ohio, as a child he loved long, quiet days fishing in nearby streams, hunting for quail in farmer’s fields, and getting into mischief with his three brothers and friends. In their teens, the “Leonard boys,” as the town called them, would cruise through the town and surrounding countryside in their motorcycles, but after (more than) one serious accident, Bill decided it was time to “slow down” - just a little.

After graduating from Findlay High School in 1969, he attended Bowling Green State University and majored in biology, graduating with his bachelor's degree in 1973.

Bill always had a side-hustle, from selling misplaced golf balls back to their owners at the local course as a teen, taking beautiful beach-side photographs of mansions in Florida and then selling them developed, printed, and matted to their owners, or curating collections of various antiques and then running his own eBay shop later in life. He was smart, contemplative, constantly-questioning authority, a puzzle-solver, and savvy with money. He cared about doing everything in his life the best way he knew how. He was a hard worker and never shied away from a challenge.

His love of reporting, writing, and news photography started when he got a job at a smaller local paper in Ohio as a recent college graduate. He was always a talented photographer and was the most at peace when he was outside, enjoying the quiet of the woods. But the quick-paced environment of a newsroom appealed to his adventurous streak, and he began to quickly excel in copy editing. His new interest led him to Fort Wayne, Indiana, after accepting a job at the Journal Gazette in the newsroom. Here he met Sheila White, who worked in advertising at the JG, and they married on December 7, 1985. He worked as the copy desk chief at the JG for over 30 years - responsible for reading the newspaper cover to cover each night and was the final check for grammar, punctuation, formatting errors or any other problems before printing. He went on to write and publish the Journal Gazette Stylebook in 1997, one of his proudest career achievements, to help standardize the writing, reporting style, and copy. He retired from his career only shortly after his first stroke in 2011, and he missed it every day until his death. (If he is reading this obituary somewhere now, he’s definitely shredding it to bits with a red pen.)

As a father, Bill was firm but always unconditionally loving and forgiving, even when Ben and Kendra disagreed with him. He bestowed on them a strong spirit of justice and advocacy, as well as many cautionary tales from his own life and mistakes to help guide them in theirs. He taught them how to say “no,” how to fish, how to drive a stick shift, how to take calculated risks, and that life is hard - but you can work harder.

Bill was preceded in death by his mother (who he very seriously deemed a “saint”) Pauline Leonard, and father, Lawrence Leonard. His surviving family includes his three brothers and their families: Thomas (Beth) Leonard, David (Kathy) Leonard, and James (Connie) Leonard. He is also survived by his wife of 40 years, Sheila, his children Kendra (Kyle) Morris and Benjamin (Audra) Leonard, and three grandchildren, Reed and Leon Morris, and Leora Leonard.

The family is forever grateful to Eleos Hospice Care, memorials can be made by check: 6255 Topsfield Lane, Fort Wayne, (46835).

A Celebration of Life will be held at 6:00 pm, on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Agape Church of the Brethren, 11610 Lima Road (46818) with visitation one hour prior.

Fond memories may be shared at www.mccombandsons.com for the family.