Mikle L. Leonard, 61, passed away peacefully on Wednesday 2/25/26 while at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts after succumbing to several debilitating strokes. Mikle was born on March 4, 1964 in Sumter, South Carolina and eventually relocated to Chatham NY while working for Amusements of America, which traveled to the Columbia County Fair. He settled in Chatham and it was there that he made a life for himself. He was a member of Payne AME Church in Chatham. The Pastors and church members quickly became his extended family. The VanAlstyne and Starks families welcomed him into their lives and treated him like one of their own. Eventually, Mikle met and married Catherine Quinn. They would go on to have three amazing children, Kinyata, Kristopher and Kesean Leonard, And although their marriage didn't last, his love for his family never wavered. Mikle loved sports including basketball and football. He was an avid fisherman and loved to catch bass, catfish, and bluegills. He loved to cook. His specialty being fried chicken and mac & cheese. He had several jobs including cooking for local restaurants, working in a few plastics molding factories, and occasionally being a DJ at local bars and parties.  He loved to play music from the oldies to R&B and hip hop. He also loved to socialize with friends he considered family and had a few wild adventures with them too!!

Mikle is survived by his three children, his ex-wife, and by his sister Mary Gaymon of Sumter, South Carolina. He is also survived by the many in-laws of the Quinn Family, as well as many nieces and nephews whom he cared for deeply. Mikle is predeceased by his son Quentin Thames from Sumter SC, his parents Hattie and JP of Sumter SC, Catherine's parents William and Patricia Quinn of Austerlitz NY, and five of his siblings. We would like to say thank you to the staff of Hillcrest Commons Nursing Home and Berkshire Medical Center for their care and compassion during Mikle's illness. We are grateful for their care and support.

Final arrangements have been entrusted to Wenk Funeral Home, Chatham NY.  At Mikles' request, there will be no calling hours and no funeral service. There will be a celebration of life at the American Legion 32 Woodbridge Ave Chatham NY on 3/15/26 from 430pm to 630pm where friends and family are invited to gather and remember their time with Mikle.

For now, we leave you with this poem that we think Mikle would have liked.

Saying Goodbye by Author Dana Redricks

I'm saying goodbye, my dear, it's time to part, also farewell and let you depart. Though our paths may lead us far apart, you'll always have a place within my heart. The memories we have shared will last a lifetime, the laughter and tears, the love and the strife. We will cherish the moments, both bitter and sweet, and the lessons we have learned, we will never repeat.

But now it's time to say goodbye to take the next step and start a new life. With each goodbye comes a new hello, a chance to grow and let our spirit's flow. So, let's embrace this farewell with grace, and remember the beauty of our shared space. In our hearts we will keep the memories alive as we move forward and continue to thrive. Finally, my dear friend, I will just say, we will meet again on another day. Until then, let's hold on to the love we have known, and cherish the moments we have shared.