Leonard H. Ponder

Leonard H. Ponder passed away peacefully near his home in Columbia, Maryland, on October 22, 2024. He was 85.

Leonard grew up in Madison and Buncombe counties and raised his family in Candler. An avid hiker, Leonard on any given Saturday could be found on a trail somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains, an area he knew well both by heart and by foot.

A graduate of North Buncombe High School, Leonard earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Southern Adventist University and went on to serve as a research assistant at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. He held a job as a chemist for Carrier Corporation in Syracuse, New York, before returning to Western North Carolina to work as a research chemist at American Enka Company, a job he especially enjoyed. He obtained a master’s degree in chemistry from Western Carolina University while still employed at Enka.

Leonard moved to Maryland to take a position as technical trainer with Shimadzu Scientific Instruments. At the time of his death, he was continuing to work as a research analyst for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Leonard lived in Columbia for 30 years and embraced the area for its cultural diversity and work opportunities. He loved music – from organ concerts to Cajun bands at festivals – and enjoyed Washington, D.C.’s many museums.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Garfield and Oleta Ponder; wife, Anne Elizabeth Ponder; and brother, David Ponder.

He is survived by daughter Leigh Delgado and her husband, Javier, of Orlando, Florida; daughter Lauren Ponder and her partner, Kevin Pierce, of Bowie, Maryland; and son Brian Ponder and his wife, Molly, of Weaverville. Leonard is survived also by four grandchildren: Derek Delgado, Natasha Delgado, Lena Kate Ponder, and Jack Ponder.

A celebration of his life will be held at a later date in North Carolina.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the nonprofit American Chemical Society at www.acs.org/donate or American Chemical Society, Office of Philanthropy, 1155 16th Street NW, Washington, DC. Leonard was a member of the organization for 62 years.