La Grande, Oregon
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Leonard, U.S. Air Force Reserve, 47, formerly of La Grande, died Nov. 22, 1996, along with nine other airmen aboard the HC-130 cargo aircraft, call sign King 56, which crashed in the Pacific Ocean 40 miles out from Cape Mendocino, Calif.
Last year a black granite marble memorial to the crew was placed at Willamette National Cemetery, Portland.
A military honors service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Island City Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, La Grande.
Sgt. Leonard was born April 11, 1949, to Walter and Norma (Warnock) Leonard in New York. He was raised in La Grande and graduated from La Grande High School in 1967.
He enlisted in the Air Force and served in Vietnam for three years. He later joined the reserves, serving with the 304th Rescue Squadron as an Intelligence Operations Specialist.
In his civilian life he worked for Mark Advertising.
Survivors include his mother, Norma Dewey of Homedale, Idaho; siblings, Mary Osterloh of La Grande, David Leonard of Beaverton, Robert Leonard of Hillsboro, Pricilla Croner of Boise, Patty Comstock of Vale and Gordon Leonard of Valencia, Calif.; numerous nieces and nephews; and other relatives.
The Observer – Obituaries for the week ending June 9, 2007 Published: June 9, 2007
Transcribed by Dixie Ricker