Donald Stewart Leas Jr. 2 3
- Born: 20 Jun 1918, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA
- Marriage (1): Fernanda Pauline Wanamaker on 19 Aug 1950
- Marriage (2): Dorothy E. Sullivan about 1940 in Ambler, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA 1
- Died: 7 Jan 1986, Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida, USA at age 67
Another name for Donald was Donald A. Leas.
General Notes:
Obituary came from Find A Grave website at, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181674565/donald-stewart-leas
OBITUARY:
Donald Stewart Leas Jr., 67, a member of a prominent Philadelphia family who earned a reputation as a sportsman-pilot and businessman, died Tuesday at his home in Palm Beach, Fla. Raised in Ardmore, he was a former resident of Gladwyne, Haverford, Chestnut Hill, Center City and Southampton, L.I.
He suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. He had battled the disease for five years, according to members of his family.
Educated at Episcopal Academy and Lawrenceville Prep School, he learned to fly at an early age and was one of the founders of Wings Field. During World War II, he was a test pilot for Grumman Aircraft Corp., proving out designs for Navy and Marine fighters such as the Hellcat, Wildcat and Bearcat.
His work won a presidential medal and a commendation presented by Harry S. Truman.
He helped build the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and entered commercial aviation after the war. He became sales manager of the Philadelphia Aviation Corp., an aircraft dealership that represented a number of manufacturers, including Republic Aviation.
Mr. Leas also organized an air service, Aero Charter, based at Wings. It operated from Wings, from Philadelphia's Northeast Airport and from the Central Airport in Camden.
As time passed, he spent less time in the air and more time at his desk.
He became general sales manager of the men's division of Lilly Pulitzer Inc. and Pulitzer's partner in a firm he founded called Men's Stuff. Men's Stuff produced sportswear sold in Lilly's shops in places such as Southampton, Palm Beach, Newport and Pebble Beach.
He was also president of Leas Enterprises.
Surviving are his wife, Johanna Camilla Snyder Leas; four daughters, Scarlett Robertson, Anne, Alice and Samantha; three sons, Donald 3d, John and
Rodman Wanamaker Leas, and four grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Bethesda-By-The-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach.
Contributions may be made in his name to the Neuromuscular Center at the University of Southern California.
The Germantown Academy in the Fort Washington area of Philadelphia area has a building named "Leas Hall". Listed below is some information I received from the Leas Academy:
Leas Hall was named in honor of Donald S Leas, Jr and his wife Fernanda Wanamaker Leas. The Leas pledged $100,000 to complete the kindergarten building when the school moved from Philadelphia to suburban Fort Washington in the 1960's. 4
Noted events in his life were:
• United States Census: Resided, 1930, Haverford, Delaware, Pennsylvania.
Donald married Fernanda Pauline Wanamaker, daughter of John Wanamaker and Pauline Disston, on 19 Aug 1950. (Fernanda Pauline Wanamaker was born in 1922 in New York, New York, USA and died on 5 Nov 1974 in New York, New York, USA.)
Donald next married Dorothy E. Sullivan, daughter of Jeremiah J. Sullivan and Dorothy S., about 1940 in Ambler, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA.1 (Dorothy E. Sullivan was born about 1920 in Pennsylvania, USA,5 died on 19 Jun 1990 6 and was buried in Birmingham-Lafayette Cemetery, Birmingham, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA 7.)
Donald next married Living
|