Samuel Leon, 85, of Kingwood Township, NJ, passed away on Thursday July 29, 2010, at Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township, NJ. Born on Jan. 3, 1925, in Glen Ridge, NJ, Sam lived in Kingwood Township for over 60 years. He served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Pacific Theatre. Sam was the owner of Leon's Sod Farm in Kingwood Township. He started the business in 1970. He had served as the mayor of Kingwood Township and was also on the township committee and planning board. He was on the board of directors of the Prestige Bank in Flemington, NJ, at one time. Sam was a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather, and loved spending time with his beloved great-grandchildren. He enjoyed playing baseball and bowling at one time and was proud of the fact that he had planted the sod at the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island. Sam was a member of the American Legion in Flemington and the Flemington Elks. He was also a member and past president of the NJ Turf Grass Association and was inducted into its hall of fame. Son of the late John and Carmella Grutta Leon, Sam is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Irene Verity Leon; two granddaughters, Jamie Wadle and her husband, Rudy, of Pittstown, NJ, and Chrissy Smith and her husband, Chuck, of Pittstown, NJ; two sisters, Catherine Kosta of Ringoes, NJ, and Bonnie Higgins of Grand Junction, CO, and his beloved great-grandchildren, Rudy, Logan and Cayden. Sam's daughter, Diane Leon, passed away in 2004. He was also predeceased by two sisters, Rose Damiani and Vincenza McElligot, and four brothers, John, Russell, Anthony and Andrew. Funeral services will be held on Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, at 9 a.m. from the Johnson-Walton Funeral Home, 24 Church Rd., Holland Township, NJ, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena R.C. Church in Pittstown. Interment will follow in Locust Grove Cemetery, Quakertown, NJ