Mary Louise Leonard, 98, of Bella Vista, Arkansas, died peacefully on September 27, 2021, at 9:38 AM at Circle of Life Hospice House in Springdale, Arkansas.  She was born on August 3, 1923, in Horn Lake, Mississippi to Virgil Cress Smith and Sylvia Slagle Smith.

In Iowa, Mary served as President of The ARC for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, on the Iowa Governor's Mental Health/Mental Retardation Commission, the Department of Education Integration Task Force, and Mercy Hospital Guild in Iowa City.  For 15 years, she worked diligently supporting her husband, then Director of Systems Unlimited, Inc., which was started in the early 1970's by parents who sought alternatives to institutionalization for their children.

She and Benny moved to Bella Vista in 1988 where she continued to be an avid golfer, an accomplished bridge player, a lover of orchids, a prolific reader, and an enthusiastic fan of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team.  As a University of Iowa student, she played bagpipes at football half-times with the prestigious Highlanders. She was one of the first graduates of the University of Iowa's speech therapy program and during WWII worked in the field with veterans in Chicashak, Oklahoma.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Benny Leonard, and twin daughters, Julie and Janet Leonard.

Survivors include her daughter, Patricia Kalogeropoulos (Michael) of Haymarket, VA, and sons Thomas Leonard of Cape Coral, FL and Matt Leonard (Kris) of Iowa City, IA; by 5 grandchildren, Douglas Toyryla of Manassas, VA, Steven Toyryla (Vanessa), of Denver, CO, Christine Toyryla Jones (Bernard) of Accokeek, MD, Lindsey Leonard-Wilson (Chas) of Omaha, NE, and Taylor Leonard-Williams (Cole) of Belle Plaine, IA, and 5 great grandchildren.

In 2017, Mary became a resident at Brookfield Assisted Living. On behalf of the Leonard family, a special thank you to all of the staff for the kindness, loving care and friendship so freely given to our mother and to Circle of Life for showing love and compassion in her last few days with us. Her family also extends a thank you to the Bella Vista library who provided her with the books that brought her so much joy.

There will be no service.  Her body was donated to the Department of Anatomy at the University of Iowa.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Contributions may be made to Systems Unlimited Inc., 2533 Scott Blvd., S.E., Iowa City, IA 52240 or to the Bella Vista Library, 11 Dickens Pl, Bella Vista, AR 72714.

Condolences may be expressed at www.funeralmation.com.