Shortly after John Leonard ’75 succumbed to his battle with lung cancer in January of 2015, his family promised to find a way to honor John’s legacy.
“We wanted to do something he would be proud of,” his brother, Dan ’76, recalled.
The combination of a lifelong passion and a family tradition was just what the Leonards were looking for.
Softball was an obvious choice, as John regularly played and umpired 16-inch softball at Merrimac Park, where he was also the Youth Counsel President. A partnership with Saint Patrick High School was an easy decision, as well, since the Shamrock tradition runs deep in the Leonard family.
“Without St. Pat’s we wouldn’t have had the bright futures we enjoy today,” said Dan, in reference to himself, his brother Tom ’70 and John’s sons, Jason ’97 and John ’04, all of whom graduated from St. Pat’s. “There’s no better way to keep honoring John than to give back to St. Pat’s, which has done so much for our family.”
The end result: Saint Patrick was chosen as the beneficiary of the inaugural Fins Up Softball Tournament, which will be held in honor of John Leonard on June 18 at Merrimac Park.
While the afternoon will be centered on softball, the family-friendly event will have much more to offer. Planned festivities include live entertainment, a raffle, cash prizes, a beer garden, family activities and much more; all of which will be run by the 50-plus friends and family members of John Leonard who plan travel from across the country to attend this event.
For more information, or to register a team, visit www.finsupcfd.com.
