Leo F. Quinnett

Leo Quinnett Leo F. Quinnett, age 86, passed away Friday, June 1, 2007. He was born Feb. 19, 1921, in Havolock, Neb., to Robert and Jose (nee Wurtz) Quinnett. His family moved to Chicago when he was young, and he graduated from Schurz High School. In 1942, he was working as a precision grinder for General Motors in Melrose Park, Ill., when he joined the U.S. Navy and served his country from September 1942 until December 1945. His squadron was called the “Hurricane Hunters.” Leo was a second class mechanic and a waist gunner aboard a B-24 Liberator. Following the war, he continued his education by studying business and grapho-analysis. On April 12, 1969, he married Albena Mae LeGare in Park Ridge, Ill. In 1985, Leo retired from Pall Corporation where he was a precision tool cutter grinder. He and his family moved to Bloomer, and then moved to Eau Claire in 2002. Leo was many things throughout his life. He was an athlete who loved his high school football years, golfing, horseback riding and was a heavyweight boxing champ in the Navy. He was a protector who physically defended his friends as a young man in a tough neighborhood in Chicago. He was a sportsman who loved hunting, fishing and boating. He was a teacher, teaching the philosophy of concept therapy. And last, but not least, he was a loving husband, father and uncle, always happy to give more than he received. Survivors include his wife, Albena Quinnett, of Eau Claire; two sons, André Quinnett of Eau Claire and Jahn Quinnett of Chippewa Falls; and a brother, Bob Quinnett, of Lombard, Ill. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Jose (nee Wurtz) Quinnett; two sisters, Ann Burnnett and Bernice Laurie; and three brothers, Nick , Pat and Larry Quinnett. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 9, 2007, at All Faiths Funeral & Cremation Service, 1405 N. Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire, Wis. Friends may call from noon until the time of services on Saturday. A private interment will be held.