René Léonard, who was the boss of Voyages Léonard for 31 years, died last Sunday.
If the brand is little known in France, in Belgium, Leonard coaches are of great importance. On January 1, 2011, the coach operator and tour operator had passed into the lap of the big Luxembourg group Sales-Lentz.
A very nice text has been published on social networks:
This February 12, 2023, René Léonard joined the stars. His outspokenness, his entrepreneurial spirit and his great loyalty have made him an essential personality in the Verviers region and well beyond.
Indeed, with his brother Marc, he brought the famous Léonard coaches to the rank of key players in the travel sector in Belgium. Today, Leonardo no longer only rhymes with coach, Leonardo and coach are synonymous!
Driven by the pioneering spirit, he has always wanted to offer the best to his travellers. He was particularly demanding in terms of vehicle comfort and safety, which always earned him a head start on his competitors whom he deeply respected. The first double-decker coach in Belgium, the latest state-of-the-art equipment, the first catalog of coach trips, they were all marked with the Léonard logo. And who answered the emergency number available to all customers? René Léonard of course.
Behind the entrepreneur, there is also a deeply human personality who knew how to listen, reassure, advise, sometimes console, … with simplicity and kindness. He left his mark on several generations of employees who, since his retirement in 2011, called themselves “Leonardians” as if to make this almost family bond that they had with him immutable.
René Léonard, born in Welkenraedt on March 7, 1949 and died in Verviers on February 12, 2023, rests at the Lousberg funeral home, rue Léopold 30 in Dison, where the family will receive visits on Monday February 13 and Tuesday February 14 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The funeral liturgy, followed by cremation, will be celebrated at the Welkenraedt crematorium this Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. Body lifted at 8:45 a.m.
