Mr. John Leonard Hooper Sr.

John Leonard Hooper Sr.

Sunrise: March 12th, 1926 Sunset: October 23, 2018

John Leonard Hooper was born Friday March 12th, 1926 at the Atlantic City Hospital. The second of two children born to John and Gussie (Fish) Hooper. His sister Doris and his parents all proceeded him in death.

John Leonard was born and raised in Atlantic City, NJ. He received his primary and secondary education in the Atlantic City school system, graduating from Atlantic City High School with honors. Shortly after his 18th birthday and graduation from high school, Leonard was drafted into the United States Army, completing basic training at Fort Dix army base (enter unit). After completion of his basic training Leonard was shipped off to the Pacific Theatre, eventually to fight in the Battle of Okinawa. During the battle his life almost ended when a Japanese shell exploded inside his Duck (Amphibious Transport Vehicle) killing his best friend. If not for the blast shield, his life would have ended then and there.

After the war, Leonard attended the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Chemistry. He graduated with honors, later to earn a doctorate in Organic Chemistry from the University of Maryland in the late 1950’s. As a civilian scientist John Leonard was employed at the Army Chemical Corp Research Center located at Fort Detrick Army Base. While living in Frederick, MD he met his future wife of 62 years Mary Grant. To this union was born a son, John L. Hooper, III, currently working as a Senior Network Engineer with AT&T at the Department of State.

One of Leonard’s lifelong passions was his love of trains, which he passed on to his son. In addition, his love of history and in particular African history was in turn passed on to his son. Leonard retired from NIH (National Institutes of Health) as Director of the Executive Secretariat in 1992 after 35 years of service. During this time he was able to raise a son, love a wife, raise several dogs and earn another doctorate degree in Economics from the University of Maryland.

Leonard’s spiritual life was centered at Mt. Zion. For many years he was a member of the choir, Sunday School teacher, and a member of the Methodist Men’s organization. On the morning of Tuesday, October 23, 2018 an express train bound for Glory stopped at Station Earth and he climbed on board. As he waved goodbye to his son and the cat, old #16 blew its whistle and rang its bell, but through all of the commotion he could be heard to say: “Stay strong and do not weep for me. I’m going to a better place and will see both of you again someday.” He will be forever missed by his loving relatives, church family and friends.