[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]Leonard H. Ponder passed away peacefully near his home in Columbia, Maryland, on October 22, 2024. He was\u00a085.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0foot.<\/p>\n
A graduate of North Buncombe High School, Leonard earned a bachelor\u2019s 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\u2019s degree in chemistry from Western Carolina University while still employed at\u00a0Enka.<\/p>\n
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,\u00a0Maryland.<\/p>\n
Leonard lived in Columbia for 30 years and embraced the area for its cultural diversity and work opportunities. He loved music \u2013 from organ concerts to Cajun bands at festivals \u2013 and enjoyed Washington, D.C.\u2019s many\u00a0museums.<\/p>\n
He was preceded in death by his parents, Garfield and Oleta Ponder; wife, Anne Elizabeth Ponder; and brother, David\u00a0Ponder.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0Ponder.
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Leonard H. PonderLeonard H. Ponder passed away peacefully near his home in Columbia, Maryland, on October 22, 2024. He was\u00a085. 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3396,"featured_media":10223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"
Leonard H. Ponder passed away peacefully near his home in Columbia, Maryland, on October 22, 2024. He was\u00a085.<\/p>
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\u00a0foot.<\/p>
A graduate of North Buncombe High School, Leonard earned a bachelor\u2019s 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\u2019s degree in chemistry from Western Carolina University while still employed at\u00a0Enka.<\/p>
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,\u00a0Maryland.<\/p>
Leonard lived in Columbia for 30 years and embraced the area for its cultural diversity and work opportunities. He loved music \u2013 from organ concerts to Cajun bands at festivals \u2013 and enjoyed Washington, D.C.\u2019s many\u00a0museums.<\/p>
He was preceded in death by his parents, Garfield and Oleta Ponder; wife, Anne Elizabeth Ponder; and brother, David\u00a0Ponder.<\/p>
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\u00a0Ponder.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[144,86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-144","category-obituaries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3396"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11057"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11057\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11060,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11057\/revisions\/11060"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}