Bangor philanthropist, lawyer Leonard dies

BANGOR – The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through his office on Exchange Street at 7 every morning.

He arrived to work, at Eaton Peabody: Attorneys at Law, before his colleagues, and was always sure to have a fresh cup to share with friends.

Edward “Ted” Leonard III used the morning hours, before the work began, to sip coffee, chat with friends, give the update on his latest nautical adventure or share a story about his beloved wife, Sandra.

Leonard, a talented Bangor lawyer and avid philanthropist, died at home on Thursday while watching the Red Sox play Game 2 of the World Series, according to Bernard Kubetz, who worked with Leonard in the same law firm for 34 years.

“Ted was a wonderful, generous, intelligent, caring friend, and when you became his friend, you became his friend for life,” said Kubetz. “As Ted’s friend he would do anything and everything for you, regardless of what it involved or what you needed. He was there.”

Leonard received his undergraduate degree from the University of Maine, and graduated from the University of Maine School of Law in 1969. He was a senior partner with Eaton Peabody and an active member of the community. He served on the board of directors for the Katahdin Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Maine Center for the Arts, Penobscot Theatre Company, University of Maine Museum of Art, Eddington Salmon Club, the Bangor Y and the Bangor Region Arts Council. He also was a member of the board of visitors for the University of Maine School of Law and a trustee of the Penobscot Marine Museum, among other positions.

In 2002, the University of Maine Patrons of the Arts honored Leonard and his wife, Sandra, with the Vincent A. Hartgen Award, touting their fundraising efforts in helping relocate the art department to Norumbega Hall in Bangor.

Every year, Leonard would travel to Fenway Park for a weekend with friends to “go out to dinner together, smoke cigars together, and just be men [acting like] boys,” Kubetz said.

Leonard’s kind heart and generosity also made him a target for practical jokes, he said. About 20 years ago, Kubetz placed an advertisement in the newspaper for a yard sale at Leonard’s house, featuring “oversized men’s clothes, nautical equipment and a tractor,” but he neglected to inform Leonard. On a separate occasion, the lawyer’s home mysteriously was placed on the market, Kubetz said with a chuckle.

“Everything he did, he did it with an incredible amount of class,” Kubetz said. “From the way he practiced law, to the way he treated his friends, and the way he approached art.”

Edward Leonard’s service will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, at All Souls Congressional Church, 10 Broadway, in Bangor.