Timothy Allen Leet

Timothy Allen Leet passed away on Tuesday, May 26th after a five-month battle with cancer. He had the loving support of many family members and friends during his illness. We are devastated by his loss. We are also exceedingly grateful to have known and loved such a remarkable person.

Born on March 17, 1967, in Lebanon, PA, Tim was Milt and Gerry Leet’s first child. His sister, Julie, was born two years later. The family moved to Mentor, OH (outside of Cleveland) when Tim was eleven, but he often said he felt like he was “from Pennsylvania.” When traveling east to visit family, he always brightened when the flat Ohio landscape morphed into the rolling green hills of PA.

Tim attended The Ohio State University where he studied mechanical engineering. After graduating, Tim worked for Andersen Consulting, and later for a firm that specialized in environmental clean-up. About that time Tim was offered a scholarship to enroll in a nuclear engineering master’s program at Ohio State, which he did. However, a new part of Tim was starting to emerge – one that was increasingly preoccupied with some of life’s big questions. He put his engineering studies on hold, sold most of his possessions (except his rapidly growing book collection), and enrolled in the Methodist Theological School (MTSO) in Delaware, Ohio. He studied theology with an emphasis on ethics, earning a master’s degree and the Ronald Williams Prize for Excellence in Theology. Tim emerged a man with even more questions and more books to collect.

Something important happened to Tim at the Seminary: he was asked to teach a class to his fellow students. After that class, he called Andrea (his future wife) and said “I think I know what I’m supposed to do with my life. I’m supposed to teach.” And wasn’t that the truth.

So began Tim’s 27-year career as a teacher at Columbus Academy. He started as an eighth-grade science teacher and went on to teach high school physics, ethics, and AP psychology. Along the way he also served as the upper school Dean of Students, Student Council Advisor, and a very enthusiastic track and field coach. Away from Academy, Tim helped found Heart of Character, a non-profit organization offering professional development and consultation for mission-driven school programs in character development and internal motivation. He also authored a textbook entitled Ethics and Identity (2018).

Colleagues and students alike appreciated Tim’s deep commitment to teaching; no one would ever say he was one to phone it in. He invested the best of himself in every class, every day, for three decades. But he wasn’t only a good teacher. He was also an exceptionally good human. Words consistently used to describe him are wise, kind, humble, and funny. More than anything else, he was curious. Tim loved to learn. He devoured the words of the Transcendentalists, taking special inspiration from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Perhaps this is why nothing brought him more peace in recent years than spending time at Piedmont Lake kayaking, birdwatching, reading, and listening to his old CD collection. Over the years, he showed great interest in learning how to train for marathons, juggle four objects, play the bass, draw caricatures, and assess the quality of the coins he collected. He seemed to be good at almost everything he tried, except remembering names. So in true Tim fashion, every year before school started, he created flashcards for each tenth grader so that when he assumed his duty as morning greeter for the sophomore class, he could confidently call each student by the right name.

Tim is survived by his wife, Andrea; their two daughters, Julia and Caroline (“C.J.”) Leet; his parents, Milt and Gerry Leet; and his sister, Julie (Mark) Combs.

There will be a celebration of Tim’s life on Sunday, July 12th, from 11 – 2, at Franklin Park Conservatory’s Wells Barn.
If you wish to honor his memory, donations can be made in his name to the Columbus Academy Annual Fund in support of tuition assistance. The link to online giving can be found here:
https://www.columbusacademy.org/give-pledge-online. Under Designation, please select "Annual Fund" from the pull-down menu and under I would like my Annual Fund gift to support, use the pull-down for "Tuition Assistance."

Gifts can also be noted as being in Tim's memory by completing the box at the bottom of the form (IMO Tim Leet). If you’re interested in mailing a donation, please contact the development office at developmentoffice@columbusacademy.org or 614-509-2256.