John B. Leonard spent the majority of his life doing one thing: logging.
He owned his own logging business, J.B. Leonard Logging, which grew throughout the four decades it was in business, and, at its peak, employed about 35 people, said Leonard’s wife of 43 years, Linda.
While Leonard retired about four years ago, he still occasionally worked in the industry. He died in a logging accident on March 27 at age 68 after a branch fell on him at a logging site in Salkum.
That morning, Linda awoke early to make her husband breakfast — pancakes, eggs and bacon — just as she had for most of their marriage.
His friends and family said Leonard loved the outdoors, and spent most of his life outside logging.
Linda said her husband worked from “daylight to dark,” and often would come home close to midnight just to wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. to return to work. For the logging jobs that were far away from their Chehalis home, Leonard often slept in his car or even inside his log loader.
Rodney Hansen, who sold Leonard logging equipment throughout the 40 years he knew him, said Leonard’s work ethic was “unreal” and almost superhuman.
“He was a tremendous worker,” he said. “Probably the hardest worker I’ve ever been around. He’d even stay out there all night — even sleep in the darn thing.”
“There was no one like him,” Hansen added.
Rich Lennox, who owns Cascade Trader, and Jim Wark, who is the store’s sales manager, both said they met Leonard in the 1970s by selling him logging equipment.
“John was very, very hardworking and had a great reputation and strong work ethic,” Wark said, adding that he was amazed Leonard was able to keep such a productive pace.
“He loved being outdoors, he loved to work and he enjoyed the industry,” he said.
Nothing seemed to slow Leonard, Lennox said.
“That’s the way he went at things,” he said. “He just pushed himself to the limit.”
Nothing stopped Leonard from going to work: Not pneumonia, not when his foot got so swollen from gout that it would not fit into his work boot, not even when he accidentally cut his leg down to the bone with a power saw.
“He always made sure the job was getting done,” his wife said. “With him, it was like no pain, no gain.”
Leonard started his own logging business at age 24 in 1971, shortly after he left the Army. He served for two years and was stationed in Hanau, Germany, where he was assigned to the 75th artillery 2nd battalion.
Leonard, who grew up in Castle Rock, is survived by his wife, two sons, two daughters, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life and potluck will be held at the Newaukum Grange on Saturday, April 12, at 2 p.m.
A group of Leonard’s friends, former colleagues and Leonard’s sons, Will Leonard and Kevin Toney, will be at Kit Carson this Friday at 5 p.m. to share logging stories about Leonard.
Instead of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center at P.O. Box 1035, Portland, Ore., 97207. Donors should note “in memory of John Leonard” on the donation.
