Michael Dean Leonard obituary May 5, 2026
Michael Dean Leonard, 62, passed away peacefully in his home May 5, 2026. A funeral service will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, May 9, with a reception to follow. Visitation will take place 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM prior to the service. All services will be held at Iles Jordan Creek Chapel, 7150 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines, Iowa. Online condolences are welcome at www.IlesCares.com. Arrangements by Iles Jordan Creek Chapel.
Mike was born April 15, 1964, in Columbia, South Carolina to Shirley Jean (Campbell) Frus and Larry Dean Polsley. He was raised in Bondurant, Iowa and graduated from Bondurant-Farrar High School in 1982. He went on to graduate from Des Moines Area Community College with an associate degree in computer science. Mike had a long career in the IT field at G.E. Capital, Iowa DOT, and 22 years at UnityPoint Health.
Some of the greatest joys of Mike’s life were car and motorcycle racing, spontaneous and legally adjacent hunting, antiquing and collecting, fishing, starting new projects, billiards, spending time with family, rooting on the Iowa Hawkeyes, and most of all, his son Nick, who he loved to spoil. Mike will be best remembered for his gregarious storytelling abilities, being the life of the party, and his outgoing character who truly never met a stranger. He loved to make friends and family laugh with his snarky sense of humor and larger-than-life personality. Mike was always happiest when those around him were too.
Mike is survived by his son Nicholas Jacob Leonard of Colo, IA, mother Shirley Frus of Ankeny, IA, father Larry (Ann-Marie) Polsley of Blythewood, SC, sister Christine (Daniel) Hartman of Ankeny, IA, brother E.M. (Amy) Leonard III of West Des Moines, IA, two nephews, two nieces, one great-niece, one great-nephew, his beloved dog Stella, and a multitude of friends. He is also survived by the mother of his children, Teresa Clark. Mike was preceded in death by his son Colton Dean Leonard.
