Leon Edwin Boswell

Born on March 28, 1928, Leon was the second of two children born to Virginius and Louise (Winckler) Boswell. He spent his childhood years in Chase City where he met the girl he would eventually marry. (Leon was the editor of the high school paper and his future wife, Anne, was a freshman reporter at that time!)

After graduating from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1949 (where he was captain of the Regimental Band aka the “Highty Tighties”), Leon began a forty-year career as an aeronautical engineer. He helped design numerous fighter jets and missile systems for the US Air Force and Navy at Chance Vought (later known as LTV) in Grand Prairie, TX. From 1951-1953, he fulfilled his military commitment as a first lieutenant in the USAF stationed at Lowrey Air Force Base in Denver and later at Lake Charles Air Force Base in Louisiana.

On March 14, 1953, he married his hometown sweetheart (Anne Grimes) at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. The following year they had a son (Edwin Heron), and two years later they had a daughter (Martha Louise).

The family settled in Dallas, TX, where they stayed busy with church and school-related activities while the children grew up. In his retirement, Leon returned to music—playing his saxophone in numerous jazz and dance bands. He also earned a pilot’s license and bought a small private plane that he and Anne flew to visit friends throughout the Southwest.

Leon and Anne loved to play bridge and travel. They made a point of experiencing other cultures in places like China, Russia, England, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Morocco. Leon’s wife passed away in early 2020.

In addition to his son (Ed) and his wife (Lynne), Leon is survived by three grandchildren and three great-grandsons.