LEONARD, Basil Joseph -
August 14, 1931 – September 15, 2023
On September 15, 2023, in his 92nd year, Basil “Bas” Joseph Leonard passed away at Lakeridge Health Oshawa.
Beloved husband of Kathleen (nee Collins) for 72 years, he was a proud father of four children: Mike (Catherine) Leonard, Patty (Paul) Milinkovich, Kathy (Scott) Siersma, Brenda (Kent) Guest; Grandfather of: Jason (Venita) Leonard, Ashley Leonard (Brody), Miranda - nee Milinkovich (Adam) Mantle, Paul Jr. Milinkovich (Cecilia), Tyler (Mallory) Siersma, Ryan (Linnea) Siersma, Brayden (Mel) Siersma, MacKenzie – nee Guest (Gordie) Sherk; and Great Grandfather of: John Siersma, Sam Siersma, Sophia Leonard, Valmay Wight, and Maverick Mantle.
Basil was born in small town Atherley, Ontario. It was in nearby Brechin that he met his future wife, Kay, at a dance.
It was love at first sight for the two teenagers (15 and 16 years old) who would still be together 77 years later.
In 1950, Bas left his apprenticeship job in Orillia and travelled to Oshawa. He walked into a manager’s office and talked his way into a receiving job in the North Plant of General Motors. Once he was able to save enough money, Kay joined him and they were married March 31, 1951 and settled in Oshawa.
With hard work and extreme resourcefulness, he worked his way up in GM to become Manager of Supplier Quality where he travelled to automotive suppliers around the world. In 2019, after 34 years in Sonya, they moved back to Oshawa, just before the pandemic. He was always family-first. He was very protective of his family and worked hard to be able to provide good times and adventures.
Above all, he was a loyal and devoted husband to his ‘girl’ Kay and told everyone how she was the best thing that ever happened to him.
As per Basil’s wishes, a cremation has taken place with no service.
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