Leonard James Schlieter

Leonard James Schlieter, 91, of Bangor passed away Saturday, June 20, 2015, at home.

Leonard was born Nov. 25, 1923, in Millburg, to Herman and Evangeline (Dukescherer) Schlieter, both of whom preceded him in passing. Leonard was also preceded in death by a son, Richard (Rick), two brothers and two sisters.

Leonard married Gertrude Willis on Nov. 5, 1948. She survives, along with a son, Michael (Deborah) Schlieter of Lawrence; a daughter, Dawn Hayes of Benton Harbor; three sisters: Clara Small of Paw Paw; Elinor Dalton of Visalia, Calif.; and Dorothy Nicholas of Cumming, Ga.; five grandchildren; five step-grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; eight step-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and a brother-in-law, Duane Mount of Grand Blanc.

Leonard served from 1944 to 1946 in the Navy during World War II. After service, he spent most of his working life in road construction, operating heavy equipment. He was a member of Operating Engineers Local 324 and retired from there. Although he was drafted before finishing high school, he was awarded an honorary diploma from Lawrence High School in 2013. Leonard lived in the Lawrence area for most of his life, but after his retirement, he and Gertrude made a home in Leesburg, Fla., for 15 years.

Per Leonard's wishes, cremation has taken place. A memorial graveside service to honor his memory will be at 11 a.m. Friday, June 26, at Hill Cemetery, Lawrence, with Pastor Sherri Swanson of Three Oaks United Methodist Church presiding. Military rites will be performed by Hess-Eastman Post 174. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Leonard's name may be made to Reverence Hospice. Those wishing to leave memorial condolences for the family may do so at http://www.calvin-leonardfh.com.