Joan Patricia (Szczesny) Leasure

Joan Patricia Szczesny Schreckengost Leasure, age 78, of Sanford NC, passed away at her home on Saturday, September 6, 2025.

Joan was born on August 19,1947 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania to the late John Richard Szczesny and Anna Carolyn Yabczanka Szczesny. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by four infant siblings, her late husband’s Charles Clarence Schreckengost and James “Jim” Kenneth Leasure.

Joan attended school at St. Mary’s Elementary, and she was a 1965 graduate of New Kensington High School. In her earlier years, Joan worked as a Nurse Assistant at UPMC Mercy Hospital, PA and owned and operated El Paso Bar and Grill where she was well known for her delicious wings and homemade chili.

Prior to moving to Sanford, Joan resided on several wooded acres in Slippery Rock, PA - Rusty Acres, named after her beloved dog, Rusty.

Joan will be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother, and friend whose warmth and thoughtfulness touched everyone she met. She had a zest for life and an adventurous spirit, loving old movies; a passion rooted in her childhood trips with her father and brother John to Saturday matinees. Her love of music and dancing came from watching her parents’ waltzing across the living room from her childhood home.

She was a devoted grandmother, affectionately known as “silly grandma,” and cherished time spent with her eleven great-grandchildren.

Joan was the kind of person who made you feel seen, loved, and celebrated – whether you were family, friend, or simply someone fortunate enough to cross her path. She had an extraordinary gift for thoughtfulness. She was known for her endless stream of birthday cards, holiday greetings, and handwritten notes that reached loved ones near and far. In recent years she poured her heart into writing hundreds of Christmas cards for soldiers – a tribute inspired by her father’s and son Charles’s service in the U.S. Army. Her words carried love, gratitude and hope touching lives she never even met.

Joan was known for preparing homemade fudge for Kellam’s Towing and delivering baked goods to the Lee County Sheriff’s department. To know Joan was to know generosity. She lived life fully, gave love freely and left behind a legacy of kindness. She will be deeply missed but forever remembered in the hearts of all who were blessed to love her.

Joan is survived by her sons, Charles “Chuck” Schreckengost (Denise) of Sanford, NC and Richard “Rich” Schreckengost (Suzanne) of Winter Garden, Florida; stepson James Leasure (Denise) of Massachusetts; brother Rev. John S. Szczesny of New Staton, PA; grandchildren Justin Massa (Julia), of Cameron, NC; Tiffany Massa of Cameron, NC; Blake Massa of Sanford, NC;  CJ  Schreckengost (Victoria) of Sanford, NC; Samantha Schreckengost of Valdosta, GA; Nathan Schreckengost and Zachary Schreckengost of Winter Garden, FL; eleven great-grandchildren.

Joan is also survived by her adopted daughter-in-law’s, mother and aunts, where she was included as a “Gilmore Girl!”

Her family will honor her memory with a “Celebration of Life” Sunday, September 28, 2025, 2:00 p.m. at John B. Thomas Gathering Place with Pastor Karyn Cartier, 2310 Swanns Station Rd, Sanford, NC.

Mass of Christian burial to be celebrated at 1 p.m. Saturday, October 4, 2025, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church - 857 Kenneth Ave., New Kensington, Pennsylvania with her brother, the Rev. John S Szczesny, officiating. Burial will immediately follow in St. Mary Cemetery, Lower Burrell, PA where she will be laid to rest with her parents.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Olivia Evangelical Presbyterian Church Building Fund, PO Box 88 Olivia NC 28368; Wounded Warriors or by planting a tree in her memory.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joan Patricia (Szczesny) Leasure, please visit our floral store.