"Catherine: sending heartfelt condolences to you and your family. It?s clear your Dad was a blessing to all who knew him. May memories of all his adventures be a blessing for you. Beth"
In loving memory of
John Joseph Leshinski
John Joseph Leshinski of Scottsdale, Arizona passed away on September 8, 2019 at the age of 72. John was born in Lorain, Ohio on August 23, 1947.
He attended Lorain High School and graduated from Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH ('69). It was there that he met Margaret (Peggie), whom he married in 1970. For 49 years, they shared a love of food, wine, music, and travel. With their last adventure together earlier this year, John proudly conquered his 7th continent - Antarctica.
John began the pursuit of his law degree at the University of Cincinnati before being drafted into the Army. After his discharge, he took law school classes at the University of Michigan before returning to, and graduating from the University of Cincinnati School of Law.
In the fall of '74, he began his legal career as a Montgomery County Pennsylvania Public Defender. He then transitioned to private practice before embarking on a long corporate legal practice at Sperry Univac ('78), Honeywell ('86), L-3 Communications ('99), and Lenovo ('07) before retiring in '13. He and Peggie then began chasing perfect climates by splitting their calendar years between Arizona (winter) and Vermont (summer).
Throughout his life he believed in the mantra of 'work hard, play hard.' While sitting still was not in his nature, he did enjoy a great cup of coffee, the morning paper, and listening to Van Morrison and the Rolling Stones. Throughout his life he pursued many outside interests. This sense of adventure existed whether he was traveling on the open road, across the country, or participating in a road rally. John enjoyed golfing, skiing, scuba diving, and fishing. His trekking and mountain climbing experiences took him to places that included Ecuador, Peru, Papua New Guinea, and Tanzania. Although he loved his many dogs, here he was lacking in discipline. John truly enjoyed sharing a great bottle of wine with friends and family. His favorite recent past time was chasing his grandkids and hearing about their adventures.
He is survived by his wife, Peggie, his children, John III (Becca) and Catherine (Brian Smith), his grandchildren, John IV and Ian Leshinski, as well as his 104 year-old mother, Josephine Jameson.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the 10-90 Copperstate Foundation. The Foundation provides emergency benefits to officer's loved ones when an officer is injured or killed in the line of duty as well as tuition assistance to eligible family members. Donations can be made on the membership page at the Foundation's website: 10-90copperstatefoundation.org
Contact Dan Diethelm (602) 692-5650 or Tom Wilmer at (602) 363-5019 if you have any questions.
A celebration of John's life will be held Friday, October 25th at La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church, 6300 E. Bell Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254 at 10:00 AM.
Tributes
"John was an amazing man! We thoroughly enjoyed all of our summers spent with him and his family in Vermont. He will be missed but will surely live on in our great memories. We are thinking of you all and sending love! Warmly, Jason, Julee, Keegan & Olivia Grovert"
"I'm so sorry to hear of your dad's passing, Catherine. My deepest condolences to you and your family. Sounds like he was a wonderful man. May you find peace and comfort in your memories of him."