George T. Leatham

George Thurman Leatham of Vallejo, died Sept. 1 in Huntington Beach, surrounded by his family and closest childhood friends after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 68.

Leatham was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to his parents, George Leatham and Hope Thurman, but spent the majority of his childhood and adult life in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Leatham graduated from Vallejo High School in 1965. He received his bachelor's in marine egineering from the California Maritime Academy in 1970, and spent 45 years working in engineering, more recently as a project manager at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Valero, and DOW Chemical. During the earlier part of his career, he worked for Bechtel Corporation, working on projects that focused on power and defense.

When not at work, Leatham enjoyed sailing, gardening, bee keeping, and exercising his incredible skills as a handyman. There was never a project he was afraid to tackle, big or small, for himself or for a friend/family member. He especially enjoyed spending time with his daughters and granddaughters. He will be remembered for his genuine enjoyment of life and those he shared it with, in addition to always lending a helpful hand to others.

He is survived by his daughters Eleanor Leatham, Millie Leatham; son-in-law, Jason Cianciarulo; granddaughters, Charlotte Cianciarulo and Georgia Cianciarulo, as well as his brother, Gil and sister, Kathy Leatham.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, Oct. 2, at the Admiral's Mansion on Mare Island in Vallejo, at 12 p.m. Donations, in lieu of flowers, should be sent to SPCA of Solano County.