Joel Paul Leenaars Obituary
Joel Paul Leenaars of Naples, Florida; Battle Creek, Iowa; and Hercules, California; passed away on January 31, 2023. He was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, April 28, 1935.
Joel Leenaars was graduated from Albion College in 1957. He taught elementary school in Hickory Corners, MI; Springfield, MI and the San Francisco Bay Area. He was a Life Member of the National Education Association and the California Retired Teachers Association. He was an avid boater, photographer, bibliophile and conservationist.
Joel Leenaars is interred alongside his companion of 44 years, Dandridge Featherston Hering (USMA 1947), at the main crossroads of the historic Congressional Cemetery, Washington, DC, adjacent to gay activist Leonard Matlovich, and nearby the gravesites of J. Edgar Hoover and Hoover's companion Clyde Tolson.
Joel Leenaars is survived by his sister Lois Leenaars James of Prescott, Arizona; son Lowell Livingston III of Hercules, California; niece Tammy Livingston Deleon of Fairfield, California; and by his companion of 8 years, retired Naples educator Gail Edward Friend.
The Leenaars family were long-time chocolatiers, land developers, realtors, and store owners in Battle Creek, Michigan. They were instrumental in constructing what is now the Art Center building in Battle Creek, at 265 E. Emmett Street.
