Earl E. Leasure Jr., 71

SMYRNA - Earl E. Leasure Jr. of Smyrna passed away suddenly Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007, at his residence. He was 71.

Born April 23, 1936, in Wilmington, he was the son of the late Laura (Smith) and Earl E. Leasure Sr.

In the early 1970s, Mr. Leasure was involved with the Canal Athletic Association Little League.

For more than 16 years, he owned and worked on his farm in Blackbird.

A true outdoorsman, Mr. Leasure loved outdoor work and looked forward to planting his garden every year.

In 1992, he retired from DuPont, the Chestnut Run location, after 35 years of dedicated service.

In recent years he worked at Wal-Mart in Dover and currently worked at the Del. 1 Biddles Corner toll plaza.

Mr. Leasure enjoyed listening to the Christian radio station, which he kept on 24 hours every day.

He was a sports enthusiast, watching baseball, football and NASCAR regularly.

His favorite pastime was visiting Bombay Hook where he enjoyed bird watching.

For more than 40 years, Mr. Leasure was a ham radio operator.

He faithfully checked into a net with his ham radio buddies every day at 1 p.m. whenever he was home, something he especially enjoyed and looked forward to doing.

Through this net of ham radio operators he made many dear friends who continually remained in contact with him over the years.

He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

Mr. Leasure will be sadly missed by all of his family, who loved him dearly, and will treasure his memory forever.

He is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Phrilla (Drouin) Leasure; his children, Lynette Malish of Hartly, Tanya Leasure of Newark, Keith Leasure of Raleigh, N.C., and Romy Fisher and her husband Todd of Townsend; 12 grandchildren; two great-granddaughters; five sisters, Helen Keeley and her husband Howard of Landenburg, Pa., Kathryn Phillips and her husband Stan of Bethlehem, Conn., Sandy Hufnal and her husband Bruce of Clayton, Ruth Eastburn of California and Sylvia Patterson and her husband George of New Castle; several stepbrothers and stepsisters; and many nieces and nephews and dear friends.

Funeral services will be noon Saturday in Daniels & Hutchison Funeral Home, 212 N. Broad St., Middletown, where family and friends may call from 10:30 a.m. until time of service.

Interment will follow in Old Drawyers Cemetery, Odessa.

Memorial contributions can be made in Mr. Leasure's memory to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, 2591 Whitehall Neck Road, Smyrna, DE 19977; or to The Autism Society of Delaware, 5572 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington, DE 19808.