Dean Patrick Leahy

A memorial service for Dean Patrick Leahy, 86, will be held Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 10 a.m. at The Oaks of Louisiana Chapel, with Pastoral Assistant Stephanie Cosme officiating. Interment will be Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Greenwood Cemetery. Visitation will be Tuesday, May 30, from 5-7 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home on Marshall Street. Dean was born on May 23, 1931, in Newton, Iowa, and passed after a valiant battle with lung cancer on May 27, 2017. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 59 years Joette Dufour Leahy, parents Cecil and Wanda Kono Leahy, and sister Glendoris Hoffmaster. Survivors include his daughter Kerri Russell and husband Joe; grandchildren LeAnn Russell Waldroup and husband Matthew, CJ Russell and wife Alexis; great-grandson William Waldroup; close longtime friends Cosimo Kleckinger and Bill Wooley; sisters-in-law Lola Henderson and Betty Dufour; and many nieces and cousins. Dean served honorably in the Korean War as a B-29 mechanic in the United States Air Force. He went on to begin a career in the floor and carpeting business, working for Stephenson Floors and eventually opening his own business, Dean's Floor Company, alongside his wife for more than 20 successful years. Dean's family is forever grateful to the staff and residents of The Oaks of Louisiana for giving him new life in his final years, especially special friends Reggie Green, Lisa Frederick, Margaret Gilbert, Ann Harris, Diane "Dee" Freeman, and Lois Dukes. Heartfelt thanks is also given to the staff of Willis-Knighton Hospice, Dr. Ajaya Tummala and his nurse Lisa, and Dr. Joseph Jones for their care. The family suggests memorial donations be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital or Shriner's Hospitals for Children-Shreveport.