Obituary: Leon George Ball

Leon George Ball (April 19, 1941 - July 20, 2021)

Leon George Ball, Age 80, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.  Leon’s family and friends will gather at Eineder Funeral Homes – Manchester Chapel (207 E. Duncan St., Manchester) on Friday, July 23, 2021 from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, with the Rosary to begin at 7:00 pm and again at 10:00am on Saturday, July 24, 2021.  Following the gathering there will be a 11:00am Mass of Christian burial held at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church (210 W. Main St., Manchester). Fr. Bosco Padamattummal will serve as celebrant.

Leon was born on April 19, 1941, in Saline, Michigan to Duffield and Eleanor (Iwanicki) Ball. Leon married his high school sweetheart, Eileen Townsend, on February 17, 1962 at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, Manchester. Leon will be remembered as a devoted husband and family man.  He cherished his family and was the best Dad, Grandpa and Papa. Leon worked for Ford Motor Company, Saline, retiring after 32 years of service.  In his retirement, he spent many years at Nathan’s Men’s Store in Lakeland, Florida. He had several passions: his family, his faith and baseball. Leon enjoyed watching, playing, and coaching baseball, which culminated in his securing a job with the Detroit Tigers, when he was not serving his customers at Nathan’s. Leon always said, he did not have any strong points, but in actuality, one of his many skills was his amazing people skills. He was always for the “underdog.” Every person he met became his friend. Leon had many rescue dogs over his life that he loved dearly; most memorable are Corky, Zoe and lastly Winston his “sidekick”. Leon was committed to giving his children the best lives he could.

Leon is survived by his wife, of 59 years, Eileen; his children,  Michael (Cecilia) Ball, Mark (Kari) Ball, Michelle (Bruce) Dettling, Marie (Brandon) Gates and Melanie (Jason) Woods;  his brother, John (Bethel) Ball and sister, Victoria Curley; his grandchildren, Ashley, Alexander; Nicholas, David, Stephanie; Steven, Brian; Lorelei, Nathaniel, Grace, Mitchell, Vivienne; Ethan, Hannah and Emma; great grandchildren Remy; Theodore, Eloise; Jamie, Charlie and Carter; and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, brothers-in-law, Thomas Burch, LeRoy Townsend, and James Curley; son-in law Eric Kemner; and granddaughter, Piper Gates.

Memorial contributions are suggested to St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Dutchmen Firefighters Association, Inc. Please leave a message of comfort for Leon’s family or sign his guestbook at www.EinederFuneralHomes.com.

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.