Obituary
New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Harry K. Leader, born December 24, 1930, formerly of Niskayuna, NY, died February 6th in New Smyrna Beach surrounded by his loving family. Harry and his wife Kathy, relocated to New Smyrna Beach over 5 years ago to be near his family. Born in Schenectady, Harry was the third of six children. He was a graduate of Nott Terrace High School, attended Mercersburg Academy and graduated from Lafayette College where he earned a degree in Industrial Engineering. Harry had an amazing 36-year career with the General Electric Company which began in the Manufacturing Training Program in Philadelphia then on to Fort Wayne and settling in Schenectady. He retired in 1991 as Manager of Quality Control in Generator Manufacturing. He was also a member of the GE Elfun Society. Harry came from a golfing family and had a true love for the Mohawk Golf Club where he was a member for 65 years, had a hole-in-one, served on the Board of Governors and as Greens Committee Chair for many years. Harry had a talent making many of his own golf clubs, including a set that he guaranteed to be “shank proof”! Aviation was just one of his many interests including building intricate model airplanes which continue to be enjoyed as they hang in his nephew’s technology classroom. An avid sports fan, Harry especially enjoyed watching PGA tournaments, the NY Giants and NY Yankees, in which he shared a fun rivalry with his brother Bill, a Red Sox fan! Harry and his wife Kathy enjoyed travel including trips to Tucson to visit family, and over 20 years of “snowbird” winters in New Smyrna Beach, playing golf, and watching the tides and sea life from the balcony. A day did not go by when Harry was not challenged by a crossword puzzle.
A kind and loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, he is predeceased by his parents Charles and Margaret (Peg) Leader, brothers James (Patricia) and Charles (Rena) and sister Linda (John) Carter and is survived by siblings Patricia (William) O’Neill and William (Denise) Leader.
Harry is survived by his loving wife of 27 years, Kathleen, daughter Susan (John) Fazio, granddaughter Melissa Hatcher (Jeffrey Durner, fiancé)), grandsons John (Jessica) and Matthew Fazio, great grandchildren Adelyn, Arianna and Alessia Hatcher, John III, and Juliette Fazio, stepchildren Paul (Meg) Segretto, Ellen (Gary) Grandy, Susan (David) Soldini, step-grandchildren Alexander (Jen) Grandy, Matthew (Cody) Grandy, Zachary and William Grandy, Samantha and Andrew Soldini, Alexei and Alina Segretto and great step-granddaughter Maeve Grandy. Harry is also survived by his first wife Barbara Leader and many nieces and nephews. The family is especially grateful to Kari Thomas, his kind and compassionate caregiver.
Memorial contributions in Harry’s memory may be made to a charity of your choice.
A celebration of Harry’s life will be held at the convenience of the family in Niskayuna.
Your favorite maintenance technician giovany…!!!
Ellen and Dan.
Grampy, it's midnight and I am sitting in your room listening to you sleep peacefully. A moment I will remember for the rest of my life. I knew this day would soon come, but it doesn't make it any easier. The love you have shown me since the day i was born is a love like no other, and now you have shared that love to my 3 little girls. They love their "great grampy" so much.
It seems like yesterday I was spinning you in the recliner and pretending to do your hair (the little you had left lol) Then I would mess with your "grampy glasses" I'm pretty certain I broke them at one point (I'm sorry!) I was always such a goof ball around you because i always wanted to make you laugh. I know I drove you nuts, but isn't that what little girls do?
All of our Christmas traditions together, and celebrating your birthday on Christmas Eve. I was always excited for the holidays because i knew you were coming to visit, and it was always such a magical time.You were always coming to visit us. When we were little you were here every few months, and then every winter you'd stay at the condo and we would stay almost every weekend with you.
I can still see your eyes light up as I walked around the corner at the Albany Airport when we would come visit you in New York. I was always SO excited to see you. You would ask, "is this my favorite granddaughter!?" You also called me Ms. America! It always made my heart happy. You always had that way of making me feel incredibly special. I remember one summer someone thought it was a good idea to drive back to FL with my Mother and my brother John and I, and I remember you telling my mom afterwards "never again will I drive that far with those kids!" haha or flying together when I was very little you handed me a bag of M&M's as a hush present to be good on the airplane, and you told me not to show my brother John, but the first thing I did was peer around the seat to show him my own bag of M&M's. Boy were you mad at me haha
We spent back to back weekends with you in the winter in NSB at your condo. Frozen Gold trips, park trips, bingo nights, poker games, searching for shells on the beach (sea urchins and the red shells were your favorite), swimming, and our long walks. Gosh, I will never forget accidently losing my boogie board on a windy day and it blew up and hit one of your friends from the condo right in the face you were mortified lol
Now today I feel like I just lost my #1 fan. My entire life I was always so excited to share any accomplishments I had made with you. You were one proud Grampy. I will never forget telling you I got all A's and one B on my report card in middle school, and you paused and proceeded to say, "why the hell did you get a B?" I know you were kidding, but you just always had the funniest smartest remarks.
Out of all of our memories together my favorite is watching you be a Great Grandfather to my children. I know you loved them so much. They look up to you so so much. I know they will always remember you. I remember the first time you held Adelyn minutes after I got home from the hospital. You were officially a Great Grandfather. You were an amazing husband to Kathy, Dad to my mother, Grandfather to myself, John, and Matt, and the best Great Grampy.
Today as soon as I arrived I sat with you at your bedside, and held your hand and you took your last breaths. God blessed us with having all this time with such an amazing man, and for that I am thankful. I love you Gramp. The world just lost an amazing man.