Leonard Edward Gessner, Jr.

Born in New Orleans, Leonard was a graduate of Isidore Newman High School, Tulane University (NROTC), and Harvard Business School.

He served (1953-56) as a lieutenant and commissioned officer in the Amphibious Forces of the U.S. Navy with service in the European theatre and the Far East. After receiving his MBA, he worked for Crown Zellerbach and Mead Paper Company, in Memphis and in Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio. He returned to New Orleans with his family in 1965 and was named Director of Industrial Development for the New Orleans Area Chamber of Commerce. He also served as Executive Director of The Committee of 50, a blue-ribbon group of professional leaders dedicated to promoting New Orleans-area businesses to Fortune 500 companies.

In 1969, he became principal owner and president of Dixie Chemical Co., Inc. the oldest distributor of cleaning chemicals and equipment in the New Orleans area. He served in this capacity until the sale of the company in 1994, at which time he became active as a consultant on matters of regulatory compliance and safety.

For many years, he devoted his free time to encouraging young students to become active readers, volunteering in the For the Children Program in the Orleans Parish Public Schools and Start the Adventure In Reading, a program sponsored by St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church. He served for a time as Chairman of the Audit Advisory Committee of the Orleans Parish School Board and as president of the Upper Hurstville Residents Association.

Leonard was a longtime member of St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church where he served as an elder. He was a member of the Pickwick Club and the Stratford Club. He was an active tennis player and golfer and a member of the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club and the Pass Christian Isles Golf Club. He was also a member of the Pass Christian Yacht Club.

Leonard is survived by his wife, Judith Hedges Gessner; daughters, Judith Elizabeth Gessner of Brooklyn, New York, Andrea Gessner Friedman (Richard) of Tucson, Arizona, and Barclay Gessner Schraff (Scott), of Phoenix, Arizona; grandchildren, Phoebe Miller, Ian Miller, Miles Friedman, Graham Friedman, Nina Friedman, Arden Schraff, and Meade Schraff; nieces, Tipping (Tippi) Moran Ellis, Natalie (Gigi) Moran Matthews, and Lisa Moran, and nephew, Preston Moran.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Leonard Edward and Natalie Guthrie Gessner and his sister, Natalie Moran Cambon.

Friends and family are invited to attend services on Friday, October 22, at 3 pm, at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church in New Orleans.

To view and sign the family guestbook, please visit lakelawnmetairie.com

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (michaeljfox.org).