Leonard Villane

1926 - 2023

Leonard was born as a twin and the eighth of nine children to Mike and Angelina Villane.

Throughout his teen years, he kept busy, by attending school, helping his mother in the Victory Garden located in the lot next door to the family home, and working with his brothers in Mike's Shoeshine shop in downtown Fresno.

In his late teens, he enlisted into the Navy during WW II. He was assigned to the USS Mobile, a Cleveland class light cruiser that spent most of the war in the South Pacific, keeping surveillance on the approach of enemy ships.

After the war, he enrolled at Edison High School to earn his GED. This is where he met Lydia, his green-eye beauty, the love of his life. After about five years of dating, they had a Spring wedding.

During his life he was a mechanic, a custodian and finally spent 30 years working for the City of Fresno. It was during this time that Leonard and Lydia bought a small house in Central Fresno.

In order to accommodate the three growing children that they brought into the world, Leonard found it necessary to transform their two-bedroom, one bath home into a three-bedroom, two bathroom home.

It took Leonard two years to complete the project with his own hands. He would work on this addition to the home at the end of each day, after putting in a full day at work, Monday through Friday. In addition, he also spent numerous hours each weekend.

Mr. and Mrs. Villane and their children lived many happy years in this home.

After 67 years of marriage to Leonard, Lydia passed away in 2018.

Having outlived his twin by five years, Leonard passed away on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.

May he rest peacefully, filled with joy and love all around him.