By Gail Engler
It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Post 3063 Life Member Herb Leake who passed away on Nov. 21, 2017 at the age of 97.
Herb was born on April 8, 1920 in St. Charles, Illinois. Herb was a Veteran of WWII and served in the U.S. Army, a member of the 101st Airborne. Herb attended ROTC at University of Washington, and studied Aeronautical Engineering. He was working at Boeing when he received a letter from the Army saying he had been selected for the service. He wanted to join the Navy but was told he could join the Army and transfer later. That never happened, of course.
Boeing tried to keep Herb working there instead of going off to war, saying he was a critical employee to the aeronautical industry. Herb was initially a riveter on the B-17 program at Boeing, then a few months later he transferred to Material as an estimator. He remained there until he entered the U.S. Army on June 14, 1944. He had received a deferment for a few years but eventually joined the Army and was sent to Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA. He was wearing PFC stripes on his uniform and was asked where his stripes were. He was given corporal stripes and told to sew them on right away. He was eventually commissioned a second lieutenant after completing OCS.
Herb was sent to the Pacific Theater, which he felt guilty about as he spoke German and thought his language skills could be used in Europe. Many of his OCS buddies went to Europe and they were all killed in the Battle of the Bulge. As his wife said, “Herb’s life seemed to be charmed.” He wasn’t sent to Europe and survived the Philippines. In the Philippines he served as an aide to General McArthur. He was told that his unit would be a part of the invasion of Japan and that there would be no survivors. Luckily, Herb survived his WWII service.
Sometime during the war Herb met his first wife but soon after he returned home from the war his wife asked for a divorce. A few years later he and Anne met in Seattle. Herb was dating Anne’s sister when they first met; she was attending Cornish College. After she graduated and went on with her career in commercial art, Herb started calling Anne. Anne was teaching dancing in Westlake Center at night. She also was working a job in Port Angeles. She said she had to quit that job to marry Herb due to the long distance between the two cities. Eventually they married on Feb. 14, 1953. They would have celebrated their 65th Anniversary in 2018.
Herb was in the National Guard at the time they met. He retired as a lieutenant colonel after serving 40 years in the National Guard. One of his duty stations was at the old Armory at Seattle Center. He and Anne had three children together and they each had one child from previous marriages. Herb also worked for Boeing at the same time and retired after 40 years. After retirement Herb served as a volunteer at the Museum of Flight and helped restore the Boeing Model plane 247D, which was United Airlines flagship plane for many years. Herb had a private pilot’s license and was allowed to help fly the 247D partway from Tucson to Seattle. Herb also belonged to the Highline Flying Club and was active in the Boeing Seahorses scuba diving club where Herb was President.
Anne Leake has been an active member of our post auxiliary and has played Santa Claus for our Christmas parties. Her father used to play Santa Claus for many years.
In November 2016, Bill Griffith, Post 3063 Chaplain, organized a remembrance to honor all the WWII Veterans in our Post. Herb attended the celebration.
We will all miss Herb and greatly appreciate his service in World War II. We extend our sincerest sympathies to Anne and her family. A Celebration of Life will be held April 8, 2018, 1-3 p.m. at the Museum of Flight, 9404 E. Marginal Way. Internment of ashes will be April 9, 2018 at Acacia Memorial Park and Funeral Home, Lake Forest Park.