VINCENT D. LEONE
1925-2018
Vincent D Leone, 93, of Spring, Texas, passed away peacefully at home on the 30th of November, 2018.
He was born in Beaumont, Texas on January 21st, 1925, son of the late Dominick and Angelina Leone. He is preceded in death by his sisters, Mary Leone and Grace Simon.
Mr. Leone is survived by his wife of 65 years, Dolores; his daughter and son-in-law, Paula and Michael Mabry; son, Vincent Jr.; daughter and son-in-law, Jacquelyn and Jim Stephen; son, Daniel; grandchildren, Michael and Jacquelyn Mabry; his brother, J.T. Leone; and numerous nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind many friends who thought the world of him.
Mr. Leone attended St. Anthony’s school and graduated Beaumont High School in 1942, where he excelled in varsity sports such as football and track. He then briefly attended Southwest Texas University before enlisting in the Naval Air Corps program in 1943.
He attended pre-flight training at the University of Houston, and then went to basic flight training in Athens, Georgia. Due to the war turning in favor of the Allies, Mr. Leone’s training was cut. He transferred to the Naval Merchant Marine Cadet Corps and attended training at Pass Christian, Mississippi. He served aboard a mine supply ship, CAPE TRINITY, in the Northern Pacific. Mr. Leone’s ship took him from San Francisco to Pearl Harbor, through the Marshall Islands. He was at sea in Okinawa when the US dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His ship returned to the US when the Japanese surrendered. He then was honorably discharged in 1946.
After his release from the Navy, Mr. Leone resumed his college education. He attended Lamar University briefly and then transferred to Colorado A&M in Ft. Collins, CO. He was a proud member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1948.
Upon his return to Beaumont, Mr. Leone accepted a position with Core Laboratories and moved to Houston. They transferred him to Venezuela. Upon returning to the U.S., he met the love of his life, Dolores Cuchia of Galveston. In 1953, they returned as a newlywed couple to Venezuela. In 1957, he started his own oilfield service company and operated in Venezuela and Trinidad. During this time, his father-in-law unexpectedly passed away and Mr. Leone took control of the family industrial janitorial supply company. He continued his successful oilfield service business and expanded worldwide until he sold it in 1995. He continued working for the family industrial janitorial supply company until it was sold in 2015.
Mr. Leone was a dedicated husband who loved his family immensely. He was a passionate golfer and master martini aficionado and was often seen at his bar mixing a pitcher or two for friends and family.
The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude toward his caregivers, Maria Morales, Araceli Castellanos, and Altagracia Caba; his house call Baylor nurse practioner, Allison Dobecka; and the care team of A-med Health and Hospice.
Friends are invited to visit with the family from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, December 13, at Klein Funeral Home – Champions. A Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday December 14, at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church, 7810 Cypresswood Drive, Spring, TX 77379.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the Baylor College of Medicine, Huffington Center on Aging, One Baylor Plaza, MS:BCM230, Houston, TX 77030 (https://connect.bcm. edu/department-donations/ Huffington-Center-onAging).