William "Bill" Leonhard

William Bill Leonhard, age 90, of De Pere, passed away Friday, May 12, 2017. The son of the late Edward J. and Ella (Shaughnessy) Leonhard was born November 2, 1926. He served his country in the U.S. Navy aboard the U.S.S. Little Rock before being honorably discharged in 1946. Bill was an outstanding baseball pitcher, and after serving in the Navy, he tried out for the Cleveland Indians. On October 1, 1953, he married Lois Haberman at St. Francis Church in De Pere, and together they shared over 63 years of marriage. Bill was well involved in the community, having worked for White Clover Dairy, Nick Diny’s Appliance, and later as the Postmaster of Greenleaf. He also served on the Wrightstown School Board, was a volunteer firefighter for Greenleaf and enjoyed golfing and singing in the choir at St. Mary Catholic Church in Greenleaf. Survivors include his wife, Lois; children: Ken (Lori) of Greenleaf, Leah Leonhard of Madison, Joe (Amy) of Greenleaf, Julie (Tim) Sherer of Indianapolis; grandchildren: Lance (Kate) Leonhard of Wausau, Luke Leonhard of San Francisco, Amanda (Aaron) Kopczyk of Milwaukee, Malia Leick of Madison, Bridget Sherer of Dayton, Ohio and Marissa (Joe) Lesner of Rockford, Ill.; great-grandchildren: Nolan, Lucia, Nicholas, and soon to arrive baby Lesner; sister Florence (Leonhard) Lynch; sister-in-law, Arlette (Haberman) Reque. He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant daughter; siblings, MaryLou (Leonhard) Brick, Robert Leonhard and Jean (Leonhard) Walls. Family and friends may visit at Cotter Funeral Home, 860 N Webster Ave, De Pere, on Tuesday, May 16, from 4:00pm until the time of service at 7:00pm with Deacon Ken Kabat officiating. Military honors will follow the service. Burial in St. Mary Cemetery, Greenleaf. A memorial fund is being established for Unity Hospice (please make checks payable to Unity Limited Partnership) Our family would like to extend our sincere thanks to the caregivers from Unity Hospice and Deb Hoffman from Bellin for helping us navigate this difficult time.