Leo C. Hiatt Jr.

Leo C. Hiatt Jr; of Clarkston, formerly of Lake Orion; passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at the age of 79.  Born on June 18, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of the late Leo and Sylvia Hiatt.  Beloved husband of Janet for 59 years.  Dearest father of Teri Thomas, Laura (Jeff) Figa, Lisa (Frank) Ortisi, Tim Hiatt (Julie Gieraltowski).  Loving Papa to his 11 grandchildren: Matt (Erin) Thomas, Luke (Taylor) Thomas, Tim Hiatt II, Joe Hiatt, Alex Figa, Tae Hiatt, Kylie Figa, Allie Ortisi, Will Hiatt, Alysse Figa, Nick Ortisi, and great grandson Ellis Thomas.  Dear brother of Jeanne Middleton, Stephen "Mickey" Hiatt (Laura Buechler), Mary Kate Hiatt, Nancy (Don) Gallinat, Daniel (Pam) Hiatt, Alan Kideckel and James Hiatt (Shelli Lydic-Burden).  Preceded in death by siblings Charles Hiatt, Andrea Kideckel, and brother in-law Robert Middleton.

Leo grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan and often told stories of his childhood memories of attending school at Shrine of the Little Flower and playing baseball with his brothers and neighbor at the time, Bill Freehan. He later moved to Lake Orion where he graduated high school, met Janet and started a life together raising their four children.

Leo's career in the automotive industry spanned over 50 years, starting off at GM’s Pontiac Motors Division hanging bumpers and working his way up to a Reliability Lab Testing Engineer. One of his favorite memories was taking a Pontiac GTO judge right off the finishing assembly line for a “road test” and speeding past a Corvette! He had a love for cars and made lifelong friends while working for Pontiac Motor Division. After his time at GM, he shifted his focus to working in Industrial Tool Sales for the family business, PT Standard, and later various other companies. He was an International Sales Manager for many years and traveled all over the US, Canada, Mexico, and South America. Leo worked hard and was passionate about his job and he never really wanted to retire.

In his spare time, Leo enjoyed playing golf and was an avid college football fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Michigan Wolverines.  He also loved his music; anything from Jimmy Durante, Josh Groban, Neil Diamond or whatever would pop up on suggestion playlists on YouTube. He was a romantic and a fan of Broadway - from Phantom of the Opera to Jesus Christ Superstar, and his favorite movies were Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, Doctor Zhivago and anything played on the Hallmark Channel.

There will be a memorial service at 11:00 am on Friday, October 7, 2022, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 715 North Lapeer Rd, Lake Orion, MI 48362.  There will be a welcome gathering from 10:30 am until the time of the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to St. Joseph Catholic Church or the charity of your choice in Leo's name.