Harold H. Leamon

Harold Hall ""Pop"" Leamon, 90, of Poplar Bluff died Friday, February 11, 2011 at Woodcrest at Blakeford Healthcare Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Mr. Leamon was born July 6, 1920 in Miami, Florida to Walter Burch Leamon and Jimmie Lou Hall Leamon. His only sibling, older sister Mary Burch Leamon Toph, survives. Mr. Leamon died on her 92nd birthday.
Mr. Leamon's first job at 12 years old was working beside his father at the Pullman Railroad Car Company, where he remained employed through high school graduation. In 1942, he enlisted to serve in World War II. He was stationed at Malden Air Force Base and traveled to Poplar Bluff on Sundays to attend First Church of God services where he met his future wife, Lottie Juanita Anderson Leamon.
He served in the United States Army Air Force from 1942-1945. Mr. Leamon was a Technical Sergeant and crew chief for P-38 aircraft in the 9th photo reconnaissance squadron in Burma. He was honorably discharged on December 10, 1945. After serving his country, he returned to Poplar Bluff and married Juanita on September 12, 1946. They remained members of First Church of God.
The couple had two children: a son, Harold Anderson ""Hal"" Leamon, and a daughter, Nita Diane Leamon Blemker. Mr. and Mrs. Leamon co-owned and worked at Anderson's Home Furnishings until their retirement in 1977. In 1978, Mr. Leamon and his son-in-law, Jerry Blemker, opened the doors to Leamon Blemker Home Appliance Parts. His son, Hal, joined the business in 1980.
Mr. Leamon was an avid lover of trains and has an extensive model train collection. He was a proud member of the National Rifle Association as well as The Gideons International.
He was preceded in death in 2003 by his wife, and in 2007 by his son. Survivors include his daughter, Nita, and her husband, Jerry Blemker, of Poplar Bluff; their children, Erik Leamon Blemker, his wife Cammi, and their two children, Genevieve and Simon, of Bloomington, Indiana; Megan Lee Blemker of Nashville, Tennessee; Gretchen Lynn Blemker of Enterprise, Alabama; and Zachary Thomas Leamon Blemker of Nashville, Tennessee. Also surviving are Hal's family; daughter-in-law, Patti Smith Leamon; their two children, Amanda Ruth Leamon Summers and her husband, Brent and their son Blaine; and Stephen Smith Leamon, all of Poplar Bluff. Mr. Leamon's sister, Mary, has one son, Elwood Eugene ""Gene"" Toph who resides in Bremerton, Washington with his wife, Sheryl, and daughter, Emily.

A gathering will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, February 19, 2011 at Cotrell Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff, followed by a service at 2:30 p.m. with military honor guard.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.cotrellfuneralservice.com. Contact the family for information about a live webcast of the funeral service.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of these organizations or a charity of your choice on Mr. Leamon's behalf: Wounded Warrior Project: www.WoundedWarriorProject.org; National Rifle Association: www.nra.org; The Gideons International: www.gideons.org; Historic Poplar Bluff Train Depot.