Jill Leonard

Jill Renee Butler was born in Atlantic, Iowa, on January 10, 1974, to Gail and Kathy (Evans) Butler. She died from a heart attack while vacationing in Mexico on January 22, 2025, at the age of 51.

When Jill was just one year old, a congenital hip dislocation was discovered and corrected by placing her in casts and braces with her legs in a frog-leg position for nine months. During that time, Jill’s positive attitude and indomitable spirit became apparent. She learned to stand on her own by pulling herself up to her toy box and learned to walk in her brace while holding her daddy’s hands. Through all of this, she remained a sweet and happy little girl. Jill played golf in high school, and her coach said she could be an excellent player if she would practice more and socialize less! However, everyone knew that for Jill it was all about the friends and fun.

Jill graduated from Atlantic High School in 1992 and enrolled at Iowa State University, majoring in psychology. Her family was afraid she would find a boyfriend from halfway across the country, but luckily she caught the eye of a hometown boy. By the second semester of her freshman year, Jill and Doug Leonard were a couple. After Jill graduated, they married on August 3, 1996. They lived in Vermillion, SD for two years while Doug finished grad school at the University of South Dakota. To their parents' delight, they returned to Atlantic to start their careers and raise a family. Their son, Cooper Douglas Leonard was born May 25, 2001. He graduated from ISU in December of 2023, with a supply chain management degree. Reagan Shay Leonard, their daughter, was born March 27, 2004. She is currently a junior at USD in the nursing program.

Jill worked various positions at CCMH/Cass Health for most of her career, forming many friendships with her co-workers. She especially loved her last position in Human Resources because she had such a great team.

Jill is best remembered for her upbeat personality, positive attitude, huge smile, and infectious laugh. She loved her whole family, but loved her husband and kids beyond measure - and was an awesome mom. Jill cherished friendships - those made from grade school to college and those formed over the course of her adult life. She loved traveling, especially to warm places where she could have fun in the sun. Jill also enjoyed walking with her family, friends, and their dog Tyson.

Jill was preceded in death by her mother-in-law, Rosemary Leonard, grandparents, Bernard and Eleanor Butler and Bob and Doris Evans, uncle Kenny Evans, and fur baby Tyson.

Jill is survived by her husband, Doug; their children, Cooper and Reagan; parents, Gail and Kathy Butler; brother, Jeremy (Billie) Butler, and their children, Levi (Mollie) and Ellie. She is also survived by her father-in-law, Keith Leonard; brother-in-law, David Leonard, and his children, Catherine, Scott, Thomas, and Mary; sister-in-law, Kate (Tim) Getty, and their son, Brennan. Jill will be dearly missed by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as her many coworkers and friends.

The Mass of Christian Burial for Jill will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 31, 2025, at SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church with Very Rev. Trevor Chicoine as the Celebrant and Rev. Bradley Robey as the Concelebrant. Burial will be held following the Mass at the SS Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery. Following the committal, a reception to celebrate Jill's life will be held at the Atlantic Golf & Country Club.

Public visitation with the family will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with a prayer service will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 30, 2025, at the SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Atlantic.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Jill Leonard Memorial Fund, which will be designated later in memory of Jill's life. They may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O. Box 523, Atlantic, IA 50022. Online Condolences may be left at schmidtfamilyfh.com.

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Funeral services for Jill Leonard are handled by the Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Atlantic.