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Col Anthony Andres “Tony” Leis

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Col Anthony Andres “Tony” Leis

Birth	:	25 Jan 1919 Kansas, USA
Death	:	24 Mar 1989 Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA
Burial	:	Saint Marys Cemetery, Garden Plain, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate	:	37.7068300, -97.6430500
Plot	:	Section D, Row 11, Grave 14
Description	:	Wichita Eagle, Sunday, March 26, 1989 COL. ANTHONY A. LEIS, 70, of Colorado Springs, former Garden Plain resident, retired Air Force colonel, died Friday, March 24, 1989. Rosary 7 p.m. Wedneday, service 11 a.m. Thursday, both at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Aleppo. Survivors: wife, Joan; son, Daniel of Hays; daughter, Sister Rebecca of Clyde, Mo.; brothers, Leonard, Lawrence, both of Garden Plain; sisters, Marie Leis, Helen Helten, both of Aleppo, Agnes Kruse of Colwich; four grandchildren. Memorial has been established with St. Joseph's Educational Foundation, Hays. Wulf Mortuary, Garden Plain. ------ Tony was a graduate of Garden Plain... Read More	Wichita Eagle, Sunday, March 26, 1989 COL. ANTHONY A. LEIS, 70, of Colorado Springs, former Garden Plain resident, retired Air Force colonel, died Friday, March 24, 1989. Rosary 7 p.m. Wedneday, service 11 a.m. Thursday, both at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Aleppo. Survivors: wife, Joan; son, Daniel of Hays; daughter, Sister Rebecca of Clyde, Mo.; brothers, Leonard, Lawrence, both of Garden Plain; sisters, Marie Leis, Helen Helten, both of Aleppo, Agnes Kruse of Colwich; four grandchildren. Memorial has been established with St. Joseph's Educational Foundation, Hays. Wulf Mortuary, Garden Plain. ------ Tony was a graduate of Garden Plain high school. ========= Editorial from Topeka Capitol 12/09/1972 At age 22, Tony Leis, was running a grocery store in Aleppo, a tiny hamlet 21 miles west of Wichita, Kansas. "It had a church and a school and a store, It's not even on the map anymore." Fortunately, the Kansas Army National Guard was organizing a new unit in Wichita - the 127th Observation Squadron. On August 4, 1941, with a complement of 11 officers and 125 enlisted men, the unit was given National Guard recognition and its official unit designation. Leis enlisted as a supply clerk. Tony participated in an endless series of maneuvers across Tennessee, Louisiana, the Carolinas and Mississippi. Now charged with training of replacement pilots for liaison squadrons overseas, the 127th squadron slowly grew in size and equipment, and by the summer of 1944 had even added two "support aircraft," an eight-place single-engine type developed for bush flying in Canada. Attached to the new 2nd Air Commando Group, the 127th took ship that fall for Bombay, India, finally establishing a new home at Kalaikunda Army Air Field, 50 miles from Calcutta. The one-time "Jayhawk" unit spent the balance of the war flying support missions for British troops operating in the Burmese jungles, evacuating wounded and delivering mail and supplies to isolated units. "We were more or less groping" until then, Leis relates, but squadron members in India felt they performed a "very vital" mission. "We waited a long time to go overseas." The stress in India was on individual initiative, says Leis, and it wasn't unusual for a pilot and an aircraft to be gone for a week or more without hearing from him. "We had one go down. He dismantled his aircraft and made a two-wheeled cart and brought out a big West African." The 127th was shipped to Okinawa in August 1945 and by October 6 - the fourth anniversary of "federalization" - the squadron was disbanded. Leis was one of four original members still with the unit. Tony returned to civilian life January 8, 1946. He went back to business, squeezin' hamburgers. This time it was a leased café in Garden City instead of a grocery. "I decided it wasn't for me, and I gave it back to the guy who leased it to me. I went to Colorado and signed on as a combine man in the harvest." He was running the combine when he received a Wichita newspaper clipping from a relative, telling of the reorganization of the 127th and the units search for full-time technicians. Tony responded predictably. The life of a uniformed technician sounded better than combining. Leis returned as a warrant officer and was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1947. (Tony met and married Joan Dolores Prichard, July 14, 1947.) The days of liaison squadrons where long gone. The 127th was now a fighter squadron, equipment with the long-snouted P-51 Mustang. Federalized again in 1950 for the Korean War, the 127th was ordered to Louisiana. There, many of the piolots were ordered to Korea. The rest of the personnel was assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing and sent to Chaumont, France. "The reason we went to France was because we made a mistake and signed an agreement volunteering to stay on active duty indefinitely," Leis says wryly. "Those who didn't sign were released in '52, but we stayed till May of '53." A few months after returning to Wichita, the veteran volunteer did it again. This time he volunteered to join the newly-organized 117th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, then forming at Hutchinson with F-80 Shooting Stars. The 117th is the flying unit of the 190th Tactical Bombardment Group, which came to Topeka from Hutchinson in 1967. The Air Guardsmen now fly twin-jet B-57s, specialized night interdiction bombers crammed with super sophisticated black boxes - a far cry from the Piper Cubs that formed the initial equipment of the state's first Air Guard unit. And the old 127th, still at Wichita, now flies supersonic F-105 Thunderchief figher-bombers. Times have changed in other ways, too, says Leis. In 1946, when the 127th was reactivated, it was authorized fewer than 50 full-time technicians. Now the 127th is authorized some 240, and the 190th at Forbes is authorized 183. A larger unit means a loss of the closely-knit feeling of the early Guardsmen, but the role is more important, they point out. "We're are gong to take our place side by side with the best." Leis, currently supply chief for Headquarters, Kansas Air National Guard, can retire in 1974 or elect to remain on another five years. Leis, claims he joined to "get as short a term in the military as he could." Leis, who tried so determinedly to stay out of the Army would make some changes. He would, he says, have taken an offer of a regular Air Force commission back in India in 1945. And he might not have stayed in supply. "When I pass on and I see that big warehouse in the sky, I'm gonna keep on goin'," he says with a grin. "I want to do what I want to do next time." =========== Served five years in Army Air Corps Supply Corps with the Kansas National Guard U.S. Air Force Knights of Columbus Burial at St. Mary's Cemetery in Aleppo, Kansas ------ Parents: Albert Leis (1883-1957) Rosa Nilles (1885-1929) Siblings: Marie Stella Leis (1910-2000) Agnes Sophia Leis Kruse (1911-1997) Helen C. Leis Helten (1913-1994) Francis E. Leis (1915-1971) Harold A. Leis (1917-1966) Leonard G. Leis (1923-2010) Louis A. Leis (1924-1982) Lawrence J. Leis (1927-1996) Spouse: Joan Dolores Prichard (1921-2014) Children: Mark Andrew Leis (1948-1948) Daniel Anthony Leis (1953-) Rebecca Joan, OSB Leis (1955-)

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Col Anthony Andres “Tony” Leis's memorial?
Col Anthony Andres “Tony” Leis's memorial is located at: Saint Marys Cemetery, Garden Plain, Sedgwick County, USA.
When did Col Anthony Andres “Tony” Leis death?
Col Anthony Andres “Tony” Leis death on 24 Mar 1989 in Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Col Anthony Andres “Tony” Leis's memorial?
Latitude: 37.7068300
Longitude: -97.6430500

Family Members:

Parent

Albert Leis

(1883 - 1957)

Rosa M. Nilles Leis

(1885 - 1929)

Spouse

Joan Dolores “Joanie” Prichard Leis

(1921 - 2014)

Siblings

Agnes Sophia Leis Kruse

(1911 - 1997)

(1913 - 1994)

(1915 - 1971)

(1916 - 1966)

(1921 - 2010)

(1924 - 1982)

(1927 - 1996)

Children

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Saint Marys Cemetery
Garden Plain, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7068300, -97.6430500

2. Mulkey Cemetery
Garden Plain, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7071495, -97.6878967

3. Saint Anthony Cemetery
Garden Plain, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6535988, -97.6838989

4. Calvary Methodist Cemetery
Garden Plain, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6528015, -97.6841965

5. Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
Goddard, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6777992, -97.5627975

6. Saint Marks Cemetery
Saint Marks, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7363014, -97.5613022

7. Afton Cemetery
Goddard, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6338997, -97.6057968

8. Saint Joseph Church Cemetery
Ost, Reno County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7485100, -97.7316550

9. Saint Joseph Cemetery
Andale, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7938004, -97.6376038

10. Saint Paul Lutheran Cemetery
Cheney, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6628000, -97.7424500

11. Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery
Colwich, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7798004, -97.5447006

12. Antioch Cemetery
Reno County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7850490, -97.7360050

13. Pioneer Cemetery
Cheney, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6471300, -97.7861400

14. Mount Vernon Cemetery
Mount Vernon, Kingman County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7043991, -97.8158035

15. Old Saint Johns Cemetery
Viola, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.5822868, -97.5706635

16. Resthaven Gardens of Memory
Wichita, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6666985, -97.4772034

17. Eldridge Cemetery
Colwich, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8166008, -97.5372009

18. Maize Cemetery
Maize, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7792015, -97.4897003

19. Fairview Cemetery
Cheney, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6194000, -97.7861023

20. Resurrection Cemetery and Mausoleum
Wichita, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7131250, -97.4623780

21. Mount Hope Cemetery
Mount Hope, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8546982, -97.6744003

22. Jamesburg Park Cemetery
Wichita, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7160988, -97.4449997

23. Covenant Presbyterian Church Columbarium
Wichita, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7152678, -97.4436548

24. Saint John's Cemetery
Viola, Sedgwick County, USA
Coordinate: 37.5644302, -97.5557480