George Robert Leishman's Obituary
George Robert Leishman passed away peacefully on March 28, 2019, at Angel Haven in San Mateo. He was born on March 14, 1927 to Jack Leishman and Edna (Mooney) Leishman in San Francisco, CA, the second born of their three children. George was raised in the San Francisco neighborhood, Bayview, where many descendants of Irish immigrants lived including all of his Mooney relatives. When he wasn’t working as a paper boy, a butcher clerk, or at school, he loved playing baseball for the SF Rec Department.George attended the historical Commerce High School in San Francisco and was a part of the ROTC program there. After graduating in 1944 at seventeen, George started working for the War Shipping Administration and enlisted in the Merchant Marines. He worked there until he was deployed to Germany in 1945.After returning from Germany in 1947, George started working as a butcher at the well known Grant Market in San Francisco. A few buddies he worked with encouraged him to sign up for the Organized Reserve Corp, and in 1951, just one year after marrying his first wife, George was called up to serve in the Korean War. While he was away his first born, Ann, was born.On October 3, 1953, George met Phyllis Joanne Stockey. They quickly fell in love and married on July 13, 1954 in Reno. George and Phyllis had three children together: George Jr., Kathleen, and Sharon. They eventually settled in San Mateo in 1959, just a short drive from their beloved cabin in Boulder Creek that George’s parents had originally purchased years before. Summers in Boulder Creek were filled with a few of George’s favorite things to do: golf, tennis, and sipping a cold cocktail on the deck overlooking the creek below while family visited together.George joined Mission Realty, a business started by his father, in the late 50’s before attending San Francisco State. After receiving his degree he attended Lincoln Law School. George worked tirelessly, sacrificing many nights and weekends to advance his education and better his family’s future.George and Phyllis were avid travelers and greatly enjoyed roaming the open road in their RV. They took many trips together with friends from the Elks Club and annual camping trips with their children and grandchildren. After one visit to Maui, the couple couldn’t stay away and purchased a place of their own there in 2001. There was nothing more peaceful to them than a Hawaiian sunset. After 47 years of marriage, George’s beloved wife passed away.In 2002, George became friends with widow Linda Ravano Brown, and together their companionship was healing for both. Over the course of their 15 year relationship and up until Linda’s passing in 2017, George and Linda traveled to many countries together, greatly enjoyed dancing and watching sports, and were devoted tournament Bridge players.George was a hard working, compassionate man who would do anything for his family. He enjoyed watching and playing sports, particularly golf, and could almost always be found reading a good book or watching a John Wayne movie in the late afternoon. His drive and dedication to keep moving forward stayed with him until the very end, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.George is preceded in death by his father, Jack, his mother, Edna, his brother, Jack, and his wife, Phyllis. He is survived by his daughter, Ann Leishman, son George Leishman Jr. (Janet), daughter Kathleen Anderson, daughter Sharon Kaufman (Greg), his sister, Virginia Good (Robert), his grandchildren, Sarah, Kristin, Stephanie, Kelly, Leah, Amy, Kurt and Matthew and their spouses, ten great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.The family would like to thank Mission Hospice medical providers and staff and the care providers at Angel Haven of San Mateo for their excellent care.Services for George Robert Leishman will be held on April 20, 21019 starting at 11:00am at Skylawn Memorial Park in San Mateo. Reception to follow starting at 1:00pm at the San Mateo Elks Lodge. In lieu of flowers, friends and family may donate to American Heart Association, Paralyzed Veterans of America, or Mission Hospice.
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