Leonard J. De Angelo

Leonard J. DeAngelo, age 80, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 2, surrounded by his loving family.

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Born in New York City, Leonard was one of five children to Frank and Hedwig DeAngelo. He grew up on the Lower East Side, attended high school in the Bronx, where he served as an altar boy at Cardinal Hayes High School.

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Following high school, Leonard proudly enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1962. Stationed at McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix, he served honorably until 1966 as a cargo plane mechanic, where he developed the avionics training that would later shape his career.

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Leonard met his wife, Florence Ott, in his youth when they met while working together at a Carvel ice cream shop in New York owned by her father. The two fell in love and married in 1963.  They lived in Toms River, NJ where their first child, Victor, was born and later moved to Wrightstown where their second child Bruce was born.  After completing his military service, they moved to Brooklyn, NY where they lived for several years.  Leonard briefly owned and operated a laundromat in Bay Ridge, NY.  

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They later relocated to New Jersey when Leonard accepted his position at Intercontinental Dynamics Corporation beginning a long and distinguished career in avionics. Intercontinental Dynamics Corporation, which later became Kollsman Avionics in Englewood, NJ, was where he worked as a field service engineer for more than 20 years. His work took him across the country and abroad as he specialized in troubleshooting guidance systems and cockpit instrumentation. Leonard retired from the avionics industry in the late 1990s, later working part-time as a taxi dispatch operator in Paterson, NJ, and at Haledon Auto Parts.

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Outside of his career and family life, Leonard had many passions. He enjoyed freshwater fishing, with Waywayanda State Park in northern New Jersey being one of his favorite spots. He was a Mets fan having taken the family to Shea Stadium during the Brooklyn years.  As a devoted father, Leonard cherished his role in his sons' lives, volunteering at the Prospect Park Boys Club, coaching Little League teams, helping to coordinate activities and fundraisers.  Later in life, he developed a love for golf.  He was not so much a player, but loved attending tournaments such as the Barclays which rotated through Liberty National, Ridgewood, Plainfield and Bethpage Black, where he was warmly received as a veteran in the Patriots' Outpost. He was also a proud and active member of the North Haledon VFW, where he valued the camaraderie of his fellow servicemen.

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Leonard will be remembered as a man who made friends wherever he went, embraced challenges with resilience, and brought warmth to those around him. He had an ability to make others feel at ease with a natural smile, often striking up conversations that turned strangers into friends. Family was always his greatest joy, and his love, devotion, and genuine lifelong kindness will be deeply missed.

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Leonard is survived by his two sons Victor DeAngelo of San Francisco, CA, and Bruce DeAngelo of Totowa, NJ, one brother Frank DeAngelo of Oak Ridge, NJ, two sisters; Ursula Daidone and her husband Garry of Lincoln Park, NJ, and Barbara DeCaro of East Elmhurst, NY, two grandchildren Jordan DeAngelo of San Francisco, CA, and Marisa DeAngelo Kim of Brooklyn, NY, and dear cousins, as well as many nieces and nephews on both sides of the family that loved and cared for him.  He was predeceased by his sister Carol Stadulis.