Robert Ellsworth Leake Jr. Obituary

Robert Ellsworth Leake Jr., known to family and friends as Bob, passed away peacefully on October 26, 2026, at the age of 93, following a brief illness.

Bob was born in Tulare, California, on January 28, 1933, the first son of Robert E. Leake Sr. and Cleo Leake and the fourth of five Leake children. The family struggled through the Depression years before eventually settling in Three Rivers, California, the gateway to Sequoia National Park, where his father was employed.

Bob’s formative years were spent exploring the Sierra Nevada foothills and waterways, interests that would later play a significant role in his career in irrigation water management. He attended elementary school in Three Rivers, graduated from Woodlake High School, and continued his education at College of the Sequoias. While there, he joined the Navy Reserve before transferring to Fresno State, where he earned a degree in civil engineering. At Fresno State, he met Jacqueline Ziegler, whom he married in 1955. Together, they raised four children: Robert III, Rhonda Jean, Richard Curtis, and Carolyn Renee. 

Following graduation, Bob entered active duty in the U.S. Navy. After completing officer candidate training, he was commissioned as an ensign and assigned to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, for meteorology training. His first and only operational duty station was the Fleet Weather Center at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. From there, he completed a six- month detachment to Midway Island in support of the Pacific Barrier airborne early-warning patrol system.

After leaving active duty in 1959, at age 26, Bob began his civilian career as a civil engineer and Watermaster for the Kings River Water Association. From 1960 to 1979, he managed the distribution of Kings River water among 28 public and private entities. After 19 years in that role, he became general manager of the Fresno Irrigation District, where he served for another 16 years, overseeing the delivery of Kings River water until his retirement in 1995.

Bob also participated in several business ventures, including the Fresno Swim and Racquet Club and a grape farm near Exeter, California.

During his 31 years of retirement, Bob enjoyed traveling with Jackie, spending time with his five grandchildren, tackling household projects, managing rental apartments, playing golf, and fishing. Following Jackie’s passing in 2015, he sold the apartments and eventually moved to Newport News, Virginia, to be near family. In 2019, "Gramps" returned to Fresno, where the Leake family has established deep roots. He remained there for the rest of his life.

Bob maintained an active, independent lifestyle well into his nineties, enjoying family, personal projects, and golf. He continued to live life on his own terms, slowing down only during the final few months of his life.

Bob will be remembered for his straightforward nature, attention to detail, integrity, loyalty, patriotism, and devotion to family. He was frugal, determined, and deliberate, with a mellow sense of humor and a genuine love of conversation. He enjoyed traditional music and took satisfaction in a long, prosperous, purposeful, and happy life marked by service to his family, community, and profession.

Bob is survived by his sons, Robert and Curtis; his daughter, Carolyn; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. His daughter Rhonda Jean preceded him in death in 1978, when she perished in an automobile accident.

Robert Ellsworth Leake Jr. leaves behind a legacy of family devotion, professional service, and a life well lived. He will be loved, respected and remembered as the steady, wise, loving Patriarch of the Leake family.

Internment is planned for spring 2027.