Louis was born in San Francisco on December 31, 1919. He passed away January 11, 2010, surrounded by his family. He was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Frances (Celedon) Leon. He is survived by his children, Cynthia Muscio (late Vernon) of Hollister; Ron Leon (Barbara) of Brisbane; and Diane Schneider (Hermann) of Ceres. Louis has 9 grandchildren, including Heather Lust (Rick) of Hollister and Jennifer Jud (Eric) of San Martin. Louis had 17 great-grandchildren and has one surviving sister, Celia Rodriguez of Milpitas.
Louis’ occupation as a steel riveter brought him to enlist in the United States Army in 1944. From there he traveled around the world repairing ships and supervising enlisted men in routine construction duties. After his honorable discharge in 1946 he began working for The San Francisco Ice Company delivering ice to residences around the San Francisco area. Soon after, Louis began working for Bethlehem Steel, were he retired as a supervisor in 1980.
After retirement, Louis and his wife moved to Morgan Hill to be closer to family. Retirement brought Louis back to a hobby he had always had a fascination with, model railroads. Louis had a huge HO railroad layout, which at times took up half of his garage. Leonville, as he named it, had buildings named after his children, grandchildren and family friends. He would spend hours perfecting his engine models and his layout. In 2004, Louis and Frances moved to Hollister, again to be closer to family.
Louis had a knack for telling stories, giving lectures and getting the attention of everyone around him. He had a love for sports, politics, his model making, and life that made a lasting impact on everyone that met him. You will be missed Dad, Grandpa, Papa, Friend.
Graveside Friday, January 29, 2010 – 1:00 P.M. at Mount Hope Memorial Park, 250 Spring Ave., Morgan Hill.
