January 20, 2010 – Long-time Marina City resident John Leonard, a popular figure in 42nd Ward politics, is recovering from a stroke, friends of the family confirm.

It apparently happened during a vacation to Las Vegas with his wife, Marina Towers Condominium Association president Donna Leonard.

He is at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas, a certified Primary Stroke Center. A nurse who answered the telephone at the hospital said Leonard was “doing fine” and offered to transfer the call to his room. (Left) John Leonard (2003 photo).

John Corrigan, Committeeman for the 42nd Ward Democratic Party, says for many years, Leonard “has been a vital part of the 42nd Ward Democratic Organization. He’s been a very effective and cheerful advocate for Democratic candidates and causes and we will greatly miss John on Election Day this year.”

According to the American Heart Association, a stroke occurs when a blood vessel that brings oxygen and nutrients to the brain either bursts or is clogged by a blood clot or some other mass.

The Leonards have lived at Marina City for 33 years, according to Donna Leonard’s 2009 candidate information form for MTCA board of directors. John Leonard is a lawyer, admitted to practice in 1981.