Lt. Col. (Ret.) Dan S. Leasure

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Dan S. Leasure, 98, of St. Simons Island, died Tuesday, October 10, 2012 at SGHS in Brunswick. Services will be held at St. William Catholic Church on St. Simons Island at 11AM Monday, October 15, 2012. Father Jim Holloway and Rev. Wright Culpepper will officiate. Pallbearers are David Bradbury, Marvin McGahee, Scott Taylor, Jose Leasure, Daniel McGahee and Evan McGahee, as well as Honorary Pallbearers from VFW Post 4092. Interment will follow at Oglethorpe Memorial Gardens with Full Military Honors provided by the Ft. Stewart Honor Guard.

Born March 28, 1914 in Wichita, Kansas to the late, Chester A. and Eva Jane Leasure, Dan grew up in Washington, DC where he graduated from Western High School, before attending the University of Virginia. Dan was inducted into the Army in January 1941. He married Barbara Brewster Snow March 28, 1942. After graduating Engineer Officer School, Dan was shipped to Europe in 1944 in command of a Combat Engineer unit where he served in the Battle of the Bulge and the Rhine River assault crossing. Dan continued service to his country with assignments to the Japan Occupation, Pusan, Korea in the Korean War, Taipei, Taiwan and Engineer Liaison to the Laotian Army in 1962. He also served at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Fort Riley, Kansas and Fort Benning, Georgia. By the time of his retirement as a Lt. Colonel in 1962, Dan was a veteran of three wars.

After working with General Services Administration in Atlanta, Dan and Barbara moved to St. Simons in 1976 when he became the Contracts Procurement Officer for FLETC, a position he held until “retiring” in 1983, thereafter returning from 1989 to 1991 to assist in the opening of FLETC in Artesia, NM. Dan was a member of VFW Post 4092, serving as Post Commander in 2000, member and past President of the Glynn County Navy League, Golden Isles Veterans Council 2003 Veteran of the Year, on the Board of Directors of the Boys Club of Glynn, Kiwanis Club, Sea Cadets Program, Boy Scouts Honor Court, Atlanta Olympics Volunteer, Special Olympics Volunteer, Peachtree Road Race Volunteer and had his first and only hole in one on 7/21/99 when he was 85.

Dan is survived by three daughters, Joanne Leasure Bradbury and husband David of Atlanta, Kathleen S. Leasure of Brunswick, and Michelle L. McGahee and husband Marvin of St. Simons Island, six grandchildren, Ellen B. Piquette, Amy B. Barnhill, Jose H. Leasure, Whitney M. Taylor, Daniel W. McGahee, and Evan M. McGahee, five great grandchildren, Julian Leasure, Brannen Barnhill, Jaxon Leasure, Bennett Taylor, William Taylor and several nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends Sunday afternoon, October 14, 2012 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home. www.edomillerandsons.com