Mario Leite

July 12, 1944 – October 18, 2026

Mario Leite, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and proud veteran of the United States Air Force, passed away on October 18, 2026, in Oceanside, California, at the age of 82. Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Mario grew up in Dartmouth, where he distinguished himself as an exceptional athlete, beginning a life marked by hard work, dedication, and a quiet determination to provide for the people he loved.

Mario was one of Dartmouth High School’s greatest track athletes. In 1963, he won the state championship in the high hurdles and earned recognition on the All-New England team. The previous year, he had led the Indians football team in scoring. His athletic accomplishments were recognized when he was inducted into the Dartmouth High School Athletic Hall of Fame on May 6, 1999, an honor that reflected the talent and commitment he demonstrated from an early age.

Following high school, Mario proudly served four years in the United States Air Force. He later attended Long Beach State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology in 1972. He went on to build a distinguished 40-year career as an industrial engineer with Rockwell International in Palmdale, California. He was particularly proud of his work on the B-1 bomber. In 2005, he received the Silver Eagle Award for his contributions to the Net-Warfare Test and Evaluation Team.

While Mario accomplished much throughout his professional life, his family remained at the center of his world. He first married Marilyn Minnick, with whom he raised his two sons, Tom and Tony. In 1996, he married April Benfield in the backyard of the home he had designed and built himself on T-8 in Palmdale. They remained married until his passing.

Mario was a devoted father who took great joy in his sons’ activities and athletic pursuits. He coached their youth soccer and baseball teams and enthusiastically supported their interests in sports, martial arts, breakdancing, skateboarding, and dirt bike riding. Living on a dirt road in the desert, with few neighbors and plenty of room to explore, Mario created a childhood full of adventure for his boys. He bought dirt bikes and three-wheelers, built skateboard ramps, set up a downstairs game room, and provided a spacious backyard on their two-acre property. These were his own ways of showing love: making sure his sons had the freedom, space, and opportunities to enjoy being kids.

His love of athletics extended beyond his sons. Mario was an avid runner who ran several miles every day through the desert surrounding his T-8 home. His own accomplishments on the track and his son's athletic achievements were sources of pride, connecting generations through a shared love of sports.

Outside of work and family, Mario had a lifelong passion for classic cars and pigeons. He scoured the PennySaver and Recycler for classic cars to find and restore, including Corvettes, 55 Chevys, and Nissan Z cars. He also enjoyed visiting the Four Points Swap Meet in search of hard-to-find treasures.

His backyard pigeon loft, affectionately remembered as “Pigeon City,” was home to an assortment of birds, including rollers, trumpeters, Indian Fantails, and homing pigeons. He competed in pigeon competitions with his rollers and took great pride in raising his birds. One memorable demonstration of their remarkable homing instincts came when he brought a homing pigeon to his brother Bob’s home in Dana Point, released it, and watched it find its way all the way back to Palmdale.

Mario also had a distinctive sense of humor and a fondness for hats. He owned hats of all kinds, carefully shaping their bills with rubber bands to get just the right curve. Among his collection was a particularly fitting favorite for a pigeon enthusiast: a hat emblazoned with the words “Damn Pigeons,” complete with a decidedly unflattering illustration of pigeon droppings. It was a small but memorable reflection of his humor and personality.

He believed in hard work and honesty, and he lived those values through his career, his hobbies, and the life he built for his family. Those who knew Mario will remember his kindness, his willingness to help, and the care he showed the people closest to him.

Some of the family's most cherished memories were found in the everyday moments. Mario enjoyed grilling barbecue chicken and sharing dinner on the upstairs balcony of his home, often accompanied by his special salad made with oil, vinegar, and Salad Supreme seasoning. He loved returning to Massachusetts to visit family and treasured holidays spent with his brothers Bob and Adrian and thier families. In his later years, time with family became especially meaningful, as did the milestones he celebrated throughout his life, from his college graduation and athletic honors to the births of his children and grandchildren.

Mario is survived by his beloved wife, April; his mother, Isabel, who was 104 years old at the time of his passing; his sons, Tom Leite and his wife, Marina, and Tony Leite and his wife, Jenny; his stepchildren, Jesse and April Acuna; and his four grandchildren, Summer, Christian, Charlotte, and Addison Leite. He is also survived by his brother, Bob Leite, and his sister, Betty Silvia. He was preceded in death by his brother, Adrian Leite, and father, Adrian Leite.

Mario leaves behind a legacy built on hard work, honesty, kindness, and a deep devotion to family. He was a talented athlete, a proud veteran, a dedicated engineer, a resourceful builder, and a man with passions that made him unmistakably himself. Above all, he was a good man and a good father whose love was expressed in the life he built and the opportunities he gave his family. His memory will live on in the stories shared, the traditions carried forward, and the many lives made better by having known him.

Funeral and Celebration of Life

A funeral service with military honors will be held on Monday, November 9, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Miramar National Cemetery, 5795 Nobel Drive, San Diego, CA 92122.

A celebration of life will follow the service at AleSmith Brewing Company, 9990 AleSmith Court, San Diego, CA 92126. Family and friends are invited to gather, share memories, and celebrate Mario’s life.

All who knew and loved Mario are welcome to attend as we honor his memory and celebrate the life he shared with those around him.