HARTFORD, Ky. — Leonard H. Schroader, 77, of Hartford, passed away peacefully on Feb. 19, 2017, surrounded by his family. He was born on Sept. 16, 1939, in Sunnydale, Ky.
Leonard was a faithful member of Abundant Life Church. He worked at Tennessee Valley Authority, Peabody Coal Company (Homestead Mine), Labor Local 1392 (retired after 20 years), Ohio County Apartments maintenance for 15 years, and eventually retired from the maintenance and operations department of Owensboro Community & Technical College in June 2010 after 20 years of service.
Leonard will be fondly remembered for his service to the Lord and reading his Bible. He enjoyed watching college basketball games, especially the Kentucky Wildcats.
He loved raising a vegetable garden every spring and summer. He also had a passion for planting sunflowers and watching to see just how tall they would grow. His love for being outdoors was also reflected in his ability to raise cattle, mow his yard, feed the birds and squirrels, and putter around on his tractor.
He never missed an opportunity to spend time with his family. He adored playing with his grandchildren and teaching them about the important things in life.
He was known to many as an awesome handyman and could fix just about anything. He enjoyed helping others, whether they needed help or not. Leonard had a special gift of making people smile and always gave great advice on life lessons.
He also enjoyed traveling to Eastern Kentucky, the Smoky Mountains, and visiting the Alabama beaches.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Jesse and Lossie Schroader, and his longtime pet dogs, Sheba and Lucy.
Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Ruth Schroader; one son, Kevin (Delandra) Schroader; three daughters, Janet Schroader, Tonya (David) Johnson, and Sonya (Andrew) Southard, all of Hartford; nine grandchildren, Kara Schroader, of Owensboro, Ky., Kyle Schroader, of Louisville, Ky., Luke Johnson, Kayla Southard, Briar Schroader, Annabelle Burden, Noah Burden, Lorelie Burden and Gaitlin Gaynor, all of Hartford; one brother, Amel Schroader, of Narrows, Ky.; two sisters, Doris Rudder and Carolyn Matthews, both of Beaver Dam, Ky.; mother-in-law, Viola Everett, of Beaver Dam; and one brother-in-law, Bill (Liz) Lewis, of Hartford.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, at Bevil Bros. Funeral Home in Beaver Dam with Bro. Keith Shephard officiating. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery in Hartford. Visitation will be from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Wednesday and 9 a.m. until funeral time on Thursday at the funeral home.
Expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to Gideons International or the Leonard H. Schroader Memorial Scholarship at Owensboro Community and Technical College. Envelopes are available at the funeral home.