Leo, born March 31, 1939 to Jonathon Christian and Ida Fern Zook, grew up on a farm with three older sisters in the Canby/Mollala area of Oregon. After graduating from Western Mennonite High School in Salem he served in 1W in South Bend,Indiana. Afterward, while working for Lake Central Airlines he met his first wife, Saundra Sue Bousman of Portland, Indiana. They were married June 17, 1962 in the Albany United Methodist Church in Fairview, Indiana. They honeymooned to the World’s Fair in Seattle, Washington and then to the Oregon coast.

Leo took a job with Northwest Orient Airlines in Portland, Oregon prompting a move to Oregon and a 37-year career. They made a home and raised 2 boys in the Corbett community. After purchase of some property they built their dream home, a log house on 80 acres of timber purchased in the community. They were married 45 years at the time of her passing. 

Working for an airline allowed Leo one of his passions, traveling by air or land. His land travels have led him to all 48 states and air helped get across the water to Hawaii and to Alaska. Other air travels got him to far off places like Scotland, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand. Leo was quite the handyman and seemed to be able to do or fix most anything. He enjoyed music, playing guitar, harmonica, and especially his Marx-a chime. He even took organ lesson as an adult to learn more. Other activities Leo enjoyed were bowling, golf, horseshoes, the outdoors, motorcycling with friends, reading his subscription of National Geographic and singing acapella with his siblings. Leo was also licensed for small private aircraft.

Later in life, after Saundra’s passing, Leo became reacquainted with a childhood friend Miriam (Mim) Snyder Swartz and they were married in 2008. Shortly afterwards they moved to West Salem, where Leo continued golfing, bowling, singing in a local church choir group and traveling: to Scotland and even taking a Rhine river cruise. Later, they moved to Mennonite Village in Albany, Oregon.

Leo was called home by his Heavenly Father on December 1,2024 after multiple injuries from a motor vehicle accident. He was preceded in death by siblings: Benjamin Levi (infant), Nettie Rebeka Nice of Durham, North Carolina and Sarah Anne Newcomer of Denver, Colorado. He is survived by his wife of 16 years, Mim Zook, Mennonite Village, Albany Oregon; his sister, Erma Nancy Yoder, Greencroft in Goshen, Indiana. He is also survived by sons, Jeffrey C Zook (Diane) of Albany, Oregon, and R. Scott Zook (Corinna) of Corbett,Oregon, 5 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by Mim’s daughters Angie (North Carolina), Aimee(Scotland) and Tina (Albany).

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