Charles Fanning Leonard

Charles Fanning Leonard, of Madison, AL, passed away peacefully with family by his side on December 10, 2025, at the age of 92. Chuck was raised in Hartford, CT, the son of the late Marguerite and Edward Leonard. He thoroughly enjoyed his full life and realized the blessing of love from family and friends.

Chuck’s life was defined by two great joys: family and piloting planes (and we know it was in that order). After graduating from Trinity College in 1955, Chuck started fighter pilot training in the Air Force. During active duty, Chuck flew several supersonic fighters, including the F-104C Starfighter. With humility, he never drew attention to the fact that flying supersonic jets placed him at the forefront of aviation history, piloting the first Mach 2 fighter aircraft, nicknamed “the missile with a man in it.” After retiring from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel, Chuck flew as a commercial pilot for Eastern Airlines for 24 years, achieving the rank of captain. Although no longer piloting after retiring from Eastern Airlines, his passion for aviation continued at the National Transportation Safety Board, where he was an aircraft accident investigator. From college through every stage of his career, Chuck forged and maintained lifetime friendships.

At Eastern Airlines, he met his wife, LoAnn, and together they shared 54 years of love, devotion, and friendship. In addition to his devoted wife, LoAnn, Chuck is survived by five children, whom he loved deeply: Christine Teeden, Cathleen Jamison, Kevin Leonard, Ryan Leonard, and Mandy Leonard-Hart, as well as eleven grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren. He loved his daughters-in-law, Elizabeth Leonard and Tong Leonard, and his son-in-law, Jack Teeden. Chuck was predeceased by his brother, John Leonard; his son-in-law, Joshua Jamison; and his beloved eldest daughter, Cynthia Bodden, whose spirit remained close to his heart.

Chuck was a man of many quiet accomplishments, ranging from running Boston Marathons, to building a fiberglass canoe, to restoring an antique 1939 Packard. He also introduced several cherished family traditions, such as always keeping family visits to a 24-hour in-out, marking birthdays with chocolate covered cherries, creating handmade cards with markers and stickers instead of buying them, and appreciating cars that proudly had over 200,000 miles on the odometer.

Chuck was known as a “dog whisperer” and considered animals to be an essential part of the family. He believed deeply in compassion for animals and found inspiration in volunteering at the animal shelter to give the animals a second chance at trust and love. Over his lifetime, he enjoyed companionship of his dogs, Moose, Lenny, Major, Peaches, Picasso, Noodles, Punky and more.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 1055 Hughes Road, Madison, Alabama. Inurnment will follow at St. John’s Columbarium. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial contributions be made to the Ark Animal Shelter through the donation link available on their website.

: Ark Animal Shelter Donation Page