We bid farewell to our father and friend, Leo Gemma, Jr. who passed away September 24, 2019. Leo was born in Youngstown, OH on August 6, 1927 to Italian immigrant parents, Leo and Victoria Gemma, and had four other siblings, Charles, James, William, and Mary Lou. He served two years in the Navy and then attended Hiram College in Ohio. Subsequently, he moved to Colorado and attended the University of Denver for law school, then married Mary Anne Bowen in 1961. Leo and Mary Anne have five children and were married for 51 years when Mary Anne passed away in 2012. Leo practiced law for 50 years throughout the Denver area and retired at the age of 80 years old. Upon retirement and following the death of Mary Anne, he moved to Center, Colorado, where he continued to live independently, enjoying the company of neighbors, old friends, and his dogs. Leo maintained his mental clarity until death and spent his last years writing stories, painting, thrift shopping, cooking, and entertaining guests. He could always be counted on for friendship, counsel and finding the funny things in life. He is survived by his children, Anthony, Diane, Christopher, Victoria and Leo III, as well as 10 grandchildren and one great grandchild, in addition to a large extended family. Leo prioritized not material things, but cherished living deliberately and freely according to his own terms. He was satisfied seeing a sky full of stars, being surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo mountains, and having the soft ears of his dogs to pet at the end of each day. He will be forever loved and missed.

At Leo’s request, cremation was selected and a Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 pm on Monday September 30, 2019 at the Holy Name Parish located at 3290 West Milan Avenue in Sheraton, Colorado. A committal service with Military Honors will follow in the Fort Logan National Cemetery at 2:30 pm. Guests attending the burial are asked to gather at the cemetery in staging area B around 2:15 pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested to the family, with a designation to be named at a later time. Please send contributions in care of the funeral home office. To express condolences to the family or for the mailing address, please visit www.rogersfunerals.com

Rogers Family Mortuary in Monte Vista is in care of the arrangements.