It is with a heavy heart we inform you Leon Petit has left the range. Leon will be missed at the range and club meetings. Leon's friendship, help on the maintenance team and his unique prospective of world events will be what I miss most. My prayers and heart go out to Leon's family and friends as we say goodbye to our friend.

Leon Frank Petit

October 14, 1944  -  February 26, 2026

Leon Frank Petit of Euless, TX, and Virgil, IL, passed away on Thursday, February 26, 2026, in Burleson, TX. His body gave out before his spirit for living did, following a long battle with multiple myeloma and a fall he simply couldn’t bounce back from.

Leon was born October 14, 1944, to Helen Sauber Petit and Frank Michael Petit in Aurora, IL. He was the second of eight children and was raised on the family farm in Virgil, IL. Growing up in a small farm town, the values of faith, community, frugality and hard work were instilled in him from birth. He attended SS Peter and Paul School in Virgil followed by high school at Marmion Military Academy in Aurora, IL. He graduated in 1963 and enlisted in the Army with his cousin, Clete Zang, where they served as members of the Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Following their discharge from the Army in 1966, Leon and Clete were hired by American Airlines. Leon worked as part of the ground crew at O’Hare airport and briefly transferred with American to Tulsa, OK, where he worked while pursuing his private pilot and instrument/commercial instructor licenses at the Spartan School of Aviation.

Leon married Colette Louise DePauw in 1971 in Geneva, IL, and they had three children together – Brian David Matthew Petit, Sarah Petit Hlusak (Christopher Hlusak) and Nicholas Michael Petit (Kimberly Carpenter). After Nicholas was born, he pursued a position as a dispatcher with American and was relocated to Dallas, TX, where he worked until his retirement in 2014.

He loved his 50-year career with American Airlines and his work ethic, hustle and preference to trade for third shift made him popular among many of his colleagues. As the ops coordinator on the overnight shift, Leon’s commitment to figuring things out made it possible for countless passengers to get to their destinations as planned, completely unaware of the juggling act Leon was doing behind the scenes to address weather and equipment issues.

Leon was able to take Colette and his kids on flights using his employee benefits, so they were able to enjoy vacations to far-flung places back when flying was a luxury for most and you could get a seat on standby. Germany became a place Leon and the family visited often, as he struck up a conversation with a plumber fixing something at his hotel and he and Edgar became lifelong friends. His ability to strike up a conversation with anyone he met was simply part of who he was, thanks to his small town roots.

Farming and flying were very much in his blood and what he was happiest doing in his spare time. When he wasn’t dispatching planes in Dallas, he spent many years working on the family farm in Illinois. He passed on his love for farming to his sons, Brian and Nicholas.

Leon also owned a Cessna 150 two-seater airplane and found every opportunity to take it up, whether it was to buzz the house in Virgil or fly up to Minneapolis to visit his granddaughters and complete an endless array of fix-it projects for Sarah.

Leon was a proud member of the American Legion, the National Rifle Association (with multiple belt buckles to prove it) and the clean your plate club. Food expiration dates meant nothing to Leon and there was often something on his face that he was “saving for later.” After his retirement from American, which he endlessly regretted, he joined the Halton City Rifle & Pistol Club in Texas where he spent many hours target shooting, shooting the breeze, volunteering as a range officer and helping maintain the facility. Leon amassed a small arsenal during his retirement and was prepared to ensure the safety of everyone around him. He was also a passionate reader of history and his home was full of hundreds of non-fiction books and every single magazine he ever received.

Leon will be remembered for his humor, generosity to others, frugality for self, work ethic and passion for his beliefs – religious and political. He held a fervent love for God, Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his faith was nurtured at St. Benedict Parish in Fort Worth, where Leon regularly celebrated Latin Mass. He died holding his rosary and ensuring he was right with God.

Leon is survived by his wife, Colette; his sons: Brian Petit and Nicholas (Kimberly) Petit; his daughter, Sarah (Christopher) Petit Hlusak; and his grandchildren: Anna (20), Alison (19), Claire (13) and Harrison (12).

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother David.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, March 4, at Holy Angels Church in Aurora at 9 a.m. followed by a Latin funeral mass at 10 a.m. He will be laid to rest in SS Peter & Paul Cemetery in Virgil, IL, following the mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Leon’s name to Marmion in Aurora, IL, at www.marmion.org/support-marmion.

https://www.conleycare.com/obituaries/Leon-Frank-Petit?obId=47451484