Dana's dead dad's obituary

George E. Leighton 1926 - 2004 WEST SPRINGFIELD - George E. Leighton, 77, of Anaheim CA, and formerly of West Springfield, MA, died Friday, March 5, 2004 in Granada Hills, CA at his son's home. Born in Springfield to the late Joseph and Marjorie Leighton, he attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, received his BS in engineering from Georgia Tech University, and his MBA from American International College. An avid aviator, he was an FAA certified flight instructor and held an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) rating. Up until recently he flew his Cessna 182 Skylane with glee. Self-employed as an acoustic and noise control consultant, he was previously employed locally as an aerospace engineer at Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Hamilton Standard in Windsor Locks, and Avco-Lycoming in Stratford, CT. He leaves 4 sons, Alan of West Springfield, Eric of Granada Hills, CA, Mark of Ellington, CT and Dana of Vancouver, Canada; his loving companion, Penny Cofield of Anaheim, CA; six grandchildren, Brian, David, Kyle, Shawn and Dylan Leighton, and Melissa Lengyel; and his former wife of 26 years, Jeannette Millett of West Springfield. He was predeceased by a son, Bruce Leighton and by his brother, Joseph Harlan Leighton. A funeral service will be held at the Mittineague Congregational Church, 1840 Westfield Street (Route 20), West Springfield, MA on Saturday, March 13, 2004 at 11:00 a.m. Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers. Published in The Republican from 3/11/2004 - 3/12/2004.