Leonard Carter Jr., 76, of Crystal Lake passed away Thursday, April 14, 2016 at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City. A memorial gathering will be held from 9:30-11:30 AM on Saturday, April 23, 2016, at Lake View Shelter House, 135 Park Avenue North, in Crystal Lake. Leonard Jackson Carter Jr., the son of Nora (Fones) and Leonard Carter Sr., was born March 6, 1940 in Coffeyville, Kansas. He graduated with the Class of 1958 from Sulpher High School in Sulpher, Louisiana. He enlisted in the Army in 1962 and specialized in computer maintenance for the Army Air Defense Command for seven years. He played an active role in Davey, Nebraska during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. He achieved the rank of Specialist E6 before his discharge in 1969. On July 23, 1977, Leonard was united in marriage to Shirley Jones in Las Vegas, Nevada. They moved around to various states before making their home in Crystal Lake where they have lived for the past 28 years. Leonard enjoyed happy hour with friends and occasional trips to the casino, just as long as Shirley, the love of his life, was by his side. Leonard is survived by his dogs, Snippy and Sassy of Crystal Lake, Iowa; son, David, daughters, Melissa, and Debbie (Tim) Alvey of Crystal Lake, Iowa; grandchildren, Daniel Garcia of Riverside, California, Deana (Richard) Hernandez of Riverside, California, Sierra Coats of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Michael Garcia of Chino, California; and nine great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, two sisters, and a brother.