Michael Steven Leonard

Michael Steven Leonard, 72, of Macon, Georgia, died Thursday, January 23, 2020. Born February 2, 1947, in Salisbury, North Carolina, Mike was the son of the late Dorothy Loflin and Charles T. Leonard, Jr., of Spencer, North Carolina.  A service for Mike will be held Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 2:00 p.m., with visitation at 1:00 p.m., at Hart's at the Cupola. Private interment will take place Monday at Riverside Cemetery.

Mike was a Fellow of ABET and of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, receiving the 2009 IIE Fred C. Crane Distinguished Service Award. He was Adjunct Training Director of ABET after volunteering for many years on accreditation teams throughout the U.S., and after serving on the Engineering Accreditation Commission.  Mike also traveled the world teaching accreditation at several universities. He was Professor Emeritus of Mercer University after serving as Senior Associate Dean of Engineering, and Professor Emeritus of Clemson University, after serving as Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering.  Mike had been Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and had been an Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech.

A graduate of the University of Florida, Mike was a Professional Engineer in Missouri and South Carolina, an officer of several professional societies, and a recipient of many awards and honors. In Macon, he had been president of the Kiwanis Club, and was currently serving as a Director. He had been a deacon in Columbia, Missouri; Pendleton, South Carolina; and Macon, Georgia.

Mike loved to travel, loved attending classic car shows, and loved his Florida Gators.

Mike is survived by his wife of 50 years, Mary Leonard of Macon, Georgia, by daughters, Bettie Taylor of Greenwood, South Carolina; Amanda Marple and her husband, Chris of Springtown, Texas; and Gabrielle Howell of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee; and by granddaughters, McKenley Taylor, Savannah Marple, and Landon Marple; and by his beloved fur daughter, Seal.

Memorials in Mike’s name may be made to First Baptist Church of Christ, 511 High Place, Macon Georgia 31201 http://www.fbcxmacon.org/ or Heart of Georgia Humane Society, Inc., P.O. Box 7554, Macon, GA 31209 http://www.heartofgahs.org/donate.html .

Please visit www.hartsmort.com to express condolences.

Hart’s at the Cupola, Hart’s Mortuary and Cremation Center, 6324 Peake Road, Macon, GA 31210 has charge of the arrangements.