Mary Chapman Leonard

Mary was born on Dec 22, 1940, in New York City to George Marshall Houx of Marshall, MO and Dorothy Davenport Houx of Framingham, MA. She grew up in Rye and attended Finch College in New York, NY.

Mary and first husband, Richard Harbord, raised two boys. Subsequently, she moved to Florida and married Ronald Leonard on December 24, 1980. She worked as a bridal consultant among other positions in St. Petersburg, FL.

Mary was a lifelong bible student and was passionate about her faith. She attended and taught many bible classes over the years, encouraged others to grow in their faith and was very invitational and hospitable, even to strangers.

Mary enjoyed music. She and Ron had great fun joining others in their Mountain Dulcimer “jam sessions”. They even took several Dulcimer cruises with friends. Mary played piano quite well. She could read music and played many songs from memory, even up until her last months of life. She loved a good “chord progression” and was quick to point it out, especially in favorite hymns like Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Mary relished opportunities to sing with others and could almost always find the harmony in a great hymn. She sang beautifully at her father’s memorial service and, along with her brothers, at her son’s wedding rehearsal dinner.

Mary loved to swim, especially in salt water. Ron commented that when he went looking for her, years ago, he might discover her swimming the backstroke across the small bay near Shore Acres. On many occasions, she met her grandchildren at the beach and swam in the Gulf, just off-shore of Pass-A-Grill beach.

Mary was an avid reader. She loved reading biographies and stories of people coming to faith. Some of her favorite writers were Watchman Nee, Oswald Chambers, George Mueller, and Francis and Edith Schaeffer. Late in her life, she diligently read Guidepost magazine stories for encouragement.

Mary was an animal lover. While living in Ohio, she ran a virtual farm including chickens and ducks. Her absolute favorites were the Scottish Terriers she owned among her countless dogs and, of course, her beloved cats.

Mary loved the Bible. She could quote verses by memory without error from the King James version right up to her final days. Near the end of her life, she decided that her favorite verse among the many she had memorized was this: Psalm 63:3 “Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee”.

Mary loved living by the water and watching all the creatures that live by the shore. She loved watching the sun sparkle on the water in the morning. Many days, this sight brought her joy, gratitude, and relief from her struggles. Her final wish was to have her ashes spread in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mary is survived by her husband, Ronald Leonard as well as her two sons Christopher Harbord (and his wife Beverly) of Valrico, FL and Jonathan Harbord (and his wife Marlene) of Walkersville, Maryland. She also has four grandchildren, Lexie, Julia, Hannah, and Joshua Harbord as well as one great granddaughter, Isabelle Bilder. In addition, Mary has two brothers, John Houx (Vero Beach, FL) and Oliver Houx (Duluth, Minnesota)

In lieu of flowers, we request that you make a donation to the Scottish Terrier rescue foundation of Florida Scottish Terrier Rescue of Florida (STROF) (scottierescueflorida.org)

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.nationalcremation.com/location/clearwater for the Leonard family.