Jeffrey John Leavy

Jeffrey John Leavy, age 63, passed away January 9, 2021, in Provo, Utah, from complications of a 30-year battle with early-onset Parkinson’s disease. He was born December 14, 1957, in Erie, Pennsylvania, to Max Daniel and Terese Kuehl Leavy. His early years were centered around family, model trains, and hockey. He also enjoyed spending numerous hours with his father collecting treasured stamps and baseball cards. Jeff was a devoted son and brother. In the summer of 1975 when he was beginning to consider college, he heard about a school in Utah with a strong engineering program. That summer he and his parents took an extended road trip from Pennsylvania to Utah to learn more about Brigham Young University. They were delighted with what they experienced, and within a little over a year Jeff found himself at BYU enrolled in pre-engineering classes. There he learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accepted baptism, and later served as a missionary in the Spain, Madrid Mission. His testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ was the foundation for the choices he made throughout his life. He loved the Savior and bore testimony of His love.

Not long after serving his mission, Jeff became a member of the BYU International Folk Dancers. He loved traveling the world, learning about different cultures, and making new friends. One of his dance partners was Deon Gassman. She eventually became his eternal partner when they were married in the Manti Temple on December 19,1986.  They were the proud parents of seven beautiful children. Jeff was an adoring father. The love for his family and the hope of being with them forever gave him the strength and motivation to endure the hardships of this life with as much grace as he could offer.

During his career Jeff enjoyed being employed by the ProModel and Boeing Corporations. Another highlight was being a member of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee, where he was the project manager for developing the security and spectator transportation systems. His efforts helped ensure the safety of Olympic athletes and spectators in the aftermath of 9/11. Jeff is survived by his father, Max Leavy, Provo; wife Deon, Provo, and their seven children: Jane, Baltimore, MD; Catherine, Los Angeles, CA; Mark, Provo; James, Provo; John (Jacqueline Ojeda), Orem, UT; Anne (Edward Dube), Orem, UT; Cary, Lilburn, GA; sister, Patricia (Hannes Curtze), Erie, PA; brother, Robert (Heather Harris), Park City, UT.

Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, January 14, 2021, at the Provo City Cemetery, 610 South State Street. There will be no visitation prior to the graveside service. The family wishes to express sincere appreciation to Utah Home Care and Hospice for the love and care they offered Jeff and for the dignity they helped him maintain during his final days. The family also wishes to thank John Steffens, M.D. and Meghan Zorn, PA-C of the U of U Department of Neurology for their kind care that spanned over two decades.

Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.