John Keith LeBlanc

John Keith LeBlanc, 79, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne. John was born July 1, 1945, in East St. Louis, Illinois to John Dalton and Mary Jane (Flenniken) LeBlanc. He married Jean Bartlett; she survives. He was an Eagle Scout and later joined the United States Air Force, serving in Vietnam and was a decorated veteran, being awarded the bronze star and two purple hearts. He loved his country. He worked in manufacturing for over 30 years with Owens Illinois Glass, Obear-Nester Glass, Kerr, Borg Warner Automotive, Donaldson Air Filtration and Radiac Abrasives. He then joined Cedarville University as a Professor of Business Administration for 24 years. John never really stopped teaching; he was a teacher until the very end. He also held numerous elder and board of director positions, was a member of the VA Honor Guard of Dayton, Ohio, and officiated basketball for 40 years. He loved to drive his Corvette. He enjoyed traveling and visited all 50 states. John always put others first. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was affectionately known as Papaw by his grandchildren. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Jean; two sons, Jay (Shannon) LeBlanc and Kirk (Krystee) LeBlanc; six grandchildren, McKenna (Zach) Welch, Madison (Jon) Shaw, Mallory LeBlanc, Keilee LeBlanc, Keenan LeBlanc and John Karsten LeBlanc; one great-grandchild, Lainey Welch. Funeral services celebrating John’s life will be at 12:00 pm on Saturday, November 23, 2024, at The Branch, 7227 Bittersweet Moors Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46814. Visitation will be from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm following the service. John will be buried at the family cemetery, Martin's Prairie Cemetery, in Roodhouse, Illinois. This land has been part of our family for over 200 years and many of our ancestors are buried there. In lieu of gifts to the LeBlanc family, if you would like to make a donation to Martin's Prairie Cemetery, it would be deeply appreciated. Thank you in advance. We appreciate your generosity and kindness. https://gofund.me/661bd071