Obituary of Louis Leccese
Louis A. Leccese age 80 passed away May 11, 2023, at home after a long battle with Cancer. Louis was
born July 22, 1942, to Joseph and Helen (Molnar) Leccese in Manhattan NY. He would be their only
child. Louis owned the pro shop at Patel’s Kingston Bowling Alley. He married Kathleen Keenan in
Hurley NY in July 2008
He is survived by Wife Kathleen Leccese, Son Dennis Leccese and his wife Wendy, Grandson Bryan
Leccese and his Wife Allie, Granddaughter Jessica (Leccese) Weisman and her Husband Daniel, Great
Grandsons Lucas and Oliver Weisman, Son Joseph Leccese, and Partner Jessica Brewer, Grandson
Johnathan Leccese, Daughter Vickie DeMatteis and Family, Stepdaughter Ann Marie Kelleher and
Husband James, Grandsons John Kelleher and Kevin Kelleher, Stepdaughter Michelle Carter and
Husband Jason, Grandson Gerard Keenan, Kage Mikkelson, Stepson Sean Keenan, and by many loving
Cousins, Aunts and other Family.
Please Join the Family for a Celebration of Life in honor of Lou on May 27, 2023, at Patel’s Kingston
Lanes, 644 E. Chester, Kingston NY 12401 from 12 pm to 5 pm.
Louis Leccese, or “Lou the Pro” (as he is known in his bowling circle), was a man of few loves. But what he loved, he loved hard...
Lou loved golf. He loved golf so much that he worked part time at Green Acres golf course for many
years. Not for the money, but so he could be closer to the sport and have an excuse to play every day.
Lou loved bowling. In his early life, he bowled in Mannie’s Barber Shop League in Manhattan. He would
accomplish a perfect 300 game for the first time there. As he got older, he strayed away from bowling
only to find it again years later. Lou was asked to take over the pro shop at Hoe Bowl in Kingston (now
Patel’s Kingston Lanes) about 30 years ago and would be there for the rest of his life, loving every
minute he spent there. As a matter of fact, he would meet the love of his life, Kathleen “at the Hoe
Bowl”. And they would be together till the end.
In his tenure he’d bowl in the frontier league for 15 years and served as its president for 5 years. In May
of 2018 he was inducted into the Kingston Bowling Association’s Hall of Fame, which was quite fitting for
a man nicknamed Lou the Pro. He had quit bowling and golf several years ago due to the pains involved
with aging but would never quit the bowling alley life. He loved his fellow bowlers as much as bowling
itself, he’d spend most of his time there cracking wise jokes and enjoying their company.
Lou was an Italian/Hungarian man, but in his older years you wouldn’t know it. After he met his wife
Kathleen, a full-blooded Irish lady, he also fell in love with the Irish culture. Lou was never known to
drink but he would enjoy a Guinness on occasion. He would take multiple trips to Ireland with Kathleen,
and the Hooley on the Hudson became his new favorite time of the year. There he would meet another
love, Andy Cooney, a well-known Irish singer that is a mainstay of the festival. He loved Andy’s voice so
much that he decided to become a concert promoter (for one night). The concert was Andy Cooney at
UPAC and was a great success.
As an honorable mention, Lou loved painting in his middle-aged years, painting at a prolific level like a
savant, after simply watching Bob Ross. Nothing will ever be the same again… We will miss you, Lou.
