Robert "Leon" aka "Butch" Lake was born in Fresno, California on November 27, 1940, to Robert and Leona Lake. Leon grew up in Fresno and attended Houghton Elementary. He graduated from Central High School in 1958.

After graduation, Leon joined the California National Guard and in 1965 he married the love of his life, Pat and became the proud father to Tammy in 1967 and Darin in 1968. He was a dad that never missed a game or school event that his kids were participating in.

He served in the National Guard for 20 years, retiring as a warrant officer. During his service he also worked for Foglio Brothers Trucking Company until he became the Transportation Manager for Central Unified from which he retired after 25 years of service.
He made a strong impression on not only his employees but the district personnel and parents with whom he crossed paths. During his tenure and even after his retirement, he was affectionately known as "Mr. Lake" and was loved by all as he was a strong leader who always remembered that he worked for the students of Central Unified and his job was to make sure their needs were met; ensuring their safety was the most important part of his job.

After retirement, Leon found more time to golf, work on his high school reunion committee, piddle around in his yard and spend time with Nana. He never said no to her no matter what her request was although he did occasionally have selective hearing if he wasn't particularly fond of her suggestions. She was truly the light of his life as he was hers.

Leon was an avid Minnesota Vikings fan his whole life and even though they never won a Super Bowl, he remained a Vikings faithful. A highlight for him was in 2016 when he traveled with Darin and his family to Minnesota to see a game in their brand new US Bank Stadium. The trip was one that he spoke of often and the time spent with him that week will never be forgotten.

He was so very proud of all six of his grandchildren and talked about them and their accomplishments on a regular basis to anyone he ran into – even people he didn't know got the opportunity to hear about his grandkids and eventually his two great grandkids! He truly had a special bond with each one of them and their love for him shined through.

He had a passion for the game of softball having been both a coach and eventually an announcer, not only during the years that his daughter Tammy and granddaughters Morgan and Marla played at Central, but even after they graduated when he returned to the Central softball field as the Grizzlies softball announcer. He spent hours sitting at dance competitions watching Lauren and Natalie, traveled to Utah to cheer on the Utes when Lauren was on their dance team and was always grateful when Steven stopped by to work on their electronic issues. For the past few years, his sporting activity of choice was watching his youngest grandson, Nolan, play baseball. He rarely missed a game, and you could find him sitting behind home plate helping out as the best "backseat" umpire around. He usually made friends with the ump before the game, talked about how bad he was during the game, and then wished him a good night and a safe drive home after the game!

He truly was a friend to all who were lucky enough to cross paths with him over his lifetime. Our Papa passed away peacefully on May 25 th with Nana holding his hand. His family was honored to have all been with him throughout his last few hours and even though he knew it already, he gained his wings knowing that he was deeply loved.

Leon is survived by his wife of 59 years, Pat, daughter Tammy Reiter, son Darin (Georgette), granddaughters Morgan Sapien (Mark), Marla Reiter (Paige), Lauren Palmer (Ryan), Natalie Lake (Megan), grandsons Steven Avila and Nolan Lake and two great grandchildren, Ryann and Ryder Sapien. He is also survived by his sister Juanita Christian (Fritz) and sister-in-law Joan Grant and relatives Dana Lambert, Nancy DeLine and Roger Scott in addition to many special nieces, nephews, cousins and countless friends.

He was preceded in death by his son-in-law Mike Reiter, his parents Robert and Leona and his
sister Georgia Hunter.

A celebration of life will be held at Pardini's banquet hall on June 30th at 11:30am.

We would love for you to join us in celebrating Leon.