George A Leone

George A. Leone

1949 – 2021

George Anthony Leone passed away on September 29, 2021, at home in the loving care of his family. He was surrounded with prayers, lots of love, and music.  He was 72 years old.  A native of Buffalo, New York, he was one of four sons of Charles H. and Agnes (Scime’) Leone.  He was born on April 8, 1949 and baptized in Holy Angels Church in Buffalo on May 1, 1949.

George leaves to mourn his passing his wife, Char, five children, and four grandchildren.

As a child George studied piano and continued his love of piano and music throughout his life, playing for family and friends, and with them in church groups and small rock blues bands.

He graduated from Canisius High School in Buffalo, NY in 1967 and continued his education at Pratt Institute, NYC, studying engineering.  He finished his BSEE degree at the University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo in 1972.  It was at Pratt where George met and married Jean Hess and together they had two sons, George Jr. and David.  He worked for Cornell Labs in Western New York and was recruited by Honeywell Inc. in Minneapolis, making Minneapolis his home for the next 32 years.

George met his wife Charlene while they were both working at Honeywell and they were married on May 6, 1978 at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Hopkins, MN.  They were blessed with the birth of three daughters:  Talia, Marissa, and Megan, who were the joy of his life.

George attended William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul while continuing to work at Honeywell and, later, Conwed Corp. in St. Paul.  Following graduation in 1983, he became a patent attorney registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  His work took him down several paths, working for large and small Minneapolis law firms and then starting his own boutique law practice specializing in patent, trademark and copyright drafting, prosecution and maintenance.

In 2006 George and Char moved to Tacoma, where George founded Citadel Patent Law, practicing in the South Sound area until 2021.  He made many friends in Tacoma with his quick wit, sense of humor, and friendly and kind ways.  He had a deep spirituality, enriched by his Jesuit high school education.  He held people to high standards and mentored many along the way.  He will be remembered for his trustworthiness, professionalism and integrity in his law career.  Above all, he loved his family and extended families in NY and MN with gracious generosity and affection.   George was a faithful member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church by The Narrows.

George loved the outdoors, hiking, and traveling and made life an adventure.  He liked to cook, and no one could match his spaghetti sauce and lasagna made from his mother’s recipe.  He will be dearly missed.  George is survived by his wife Charlene, his sons George Jr. (Kelly) and David, his daughters Talia, Marissa, and Megan, special exchange student family member Silvia (Italo) Polo, his grandchildren Cassandra (Josh Nobis) Leone, Maximus, Julius, and Talulah Leone, his brothers Anthony (Maria), Charles (Donna), and John (Janet), sisters-in law Juliene Beeth, Linda (Mike) Matousek,  brothers-in-law Arlo (Virginia) Schultz, Ronald Schultz, Roger Bernard, and numerous nieces and nephews and friends and extended family.  He was predeceased by his parents, Charles and Agnes, his mother-in-law Cordella Schultz, and a sister-in-law, Janell Bernard.

The family would like to express their deep appreciation to Northwest Kidney Center staff and Palliative Care Team and Envision Hospice.  A memorial service will be held on October 16 at 2 pm at St. Marks Lutheran Church by The Narrows in Tacoma.  Memorials preferred to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Tacoma, or  Tanzania Life Project, 12 6th Street NW, #108, Osseo, MN 55369  https://tanzanialifeproject.org/