Leo Michael Kolonay

Leo Michael Kolonay died on May 4th, in Richmond Virginia. He was born August 22, 1941 in Hastings, PA. Leo is survived by his wife of 53 years, Barbara Kolonay, his children Jennifer Gustavson (Dave), Michael Kolonay (Mary-Alice), and Liz Kolonay (Marc Leslie), his four grandchildren, Nathan Gustavson, Megan Gustavson, Isaac Kolonay, and Kirby-Ann Kolonay, his brother George Kolonay, his sister Betty Tamburri, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents John and Elizabeth (Sipos) Kolonay, his siblings, John Kolonay, Marie Miller, Catherine Sibert, Margaret Chervenak, Theresa Gaydos, Dorothy Thomas, James Kolonay, Eugene Kolonay, Suzanne Dumm.

Leo was gifted with endless curiosity, of both science and humanity, which influenced how he lived his life.

The youngest of 12, he was the family historian, and would roll out a fresh family tree at every reunion that stretched long and wide to capture the lineage of the large Kolonay-Sipos family. He loved the investigative process and stories found researching his family history – so much that he happily performed research on other families for anyone who was interested.

He was a dedicated son, who appreciated all of the hard work his immigrant father made on behalf of his family, and was proud of his Slovak heritage. Leo loved his mother dearly and many of his best memories were of all of the various foods she could make with seemingly few ingredients – her strudel being one of his favorites. He became an amazing cook himself and found cooking as a way to de-stress from a long day at work, as well as to experiment with ingredients and flavors and dazzle dinner guests with magnificent spreads and great conversation.

Leo loved to tell a good story, partly because he had so many adventures but also because he loved learning about people. He believed that human interactions were made up of many small kindnesses and that you could learn something interesting from anyone you met.

His love of science and engineering started early. In his youth, he was a proud member of the Auroral Data Center of Cornell University, logging instances of the Northern Lights appearing in the night sky. He crafted an intercom system between his house and his best friend’s house across the street, made from salvaged part from the coal mines. These were just a few of the adventures he had growing up.

This deep curiosity for all things continued by attending Duquesne University and graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in physics. Leo wanted to travel and see the world he had read about in National Geographic and began his career working in geophysics in Texas oil fields, which led him to Libya. His time in Libya was the story of legends – drinking scotch with fighter pilots, learning to drive in the markets of Tripoli, safaris in Kenya, and racing out of the country as the Six Days War unfolded. He shifted careers into mechanical engineering with a focus on nuclear energy and ended up working for GE in Schenectady, New York where he met the love of his life, Barbara. By way of Boston, MA and Lynchburg, VA, they settled in Richmond, VA and raised their three children.

He never lost his fascination with learning and experimenting, and his grandchildren granted him even more opportunities. With them, he created elaborate Easter Egg hunts using robots to decorate the eggs, made little rockets out of household materials, discussed animal habitats, and was a doting “Pop” to all.

Leo could fix your car, make a paella, dance a mean polka, recite The Owl and the Pussycat, and explain the formula for gravitational pull. He was an exceptional person and will be dearly missed by his family.

A visitation for Leo will be held Friday, May 16, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Henry W. Woody Inc, 1771 North Parham Road, Richmond, VA 23229, followed by a Funeral Service from 2:00 PM to 2:40 PM.

In lieu of flowers consider a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation or your local PBS  station.