Leonard L. Piper – Mansville, Westmorland County, Pennsylvania

LOCATION: The National Smokejumper Association hosted the Mann Gulch 75th Anniversary Memorial Tribute for Leonard L Piper at the Bethel Cemetery in Mansville, Pennsylvania, on August 4, 2024. Piper, 23, died August 5, 1949, along with twelve other Missoula smokejumpers in the Mann Gulch Fire. James Harrison was formerly a Missoula smokejumper but was a fireguard at Meriwether Campground when he died.

Site Coordinator: Lyle Best (MSO 68)

BIOGRAPHY: Leonard was born July 5, 1926, in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, to Leroy and Fredericka Piper. Leonard was one of nine children: six boys (Garvin, Leonard, Linley, Gilbert, Donald, and Clair) and three girls (Thelma, Dorothy, and Marie). His younger sister Marie adored him. She recalled that he protected her, carried her over snow drifts to the school bus, and worked hard on the farm with his brothers. He attended Sunday School and church at the Hebron Lutheran Church. Leonard loved hunting and outdoor activities. He loved playing guitar and making fudge with his sisters. In January 1945, like many young men his age, he left high school (Derry Township High School) before graduation to join the war effort.

He joined the Navy and served 18 months as a machinist’s mate, operating, maintaining, and repairing heavy ship propulsion machinery. He attained the rank of Petty Officer First Class. After being discharged from the Navy, he attended Montana State University in Missoula (later the name changed to the University of Montana) and completed two years in the Forestry program. A first-year smokejumper, he became fast friends with a fellow rookie, William Bennett. At the time of his death, he was living with his sister in Missoula while attending university. Due to the difficulty of travel and the serendipity of timing, Leonard had not been home since entering college, and the family could not have known that they would not see him again. At the time of his death, the Pipers did not have a telephone, so learning of Leonard’s death took several days to reveal to all the family members, who were devastated by the news.

RELATIVES: Many relatives signed the tribute registry, including Craig and Sue Piper, Cleveland and Alice Piper, Amanda and Tristan Cole (son), Ellen and Keith Gaskill, Duane and Sharon Gaskill, Dwight Gaskill, Eric Gaskill, Vicky Wallbaum, Myra Fozard, Kerry Smith, Kelsey Senft, Dean and Linda Reed,

CEREMONY: Lyle Best (MSO 68) was the site coordinator and primary speaker for Piper’s memorial. Approximately 25 people were in attendance, most of them relatives. Because Leonard was a US Navy veteran, the Blairsville Armory Veteran American Legion provided a military salute, followed by playing Taps.

RECOGNITION: Lyle was the only smokejumper in attendance. On behalf of the Pennsylvania State Legislature, District 59 Representative Leslie Rossi and her husband, Mike, attended the ceremony. A special brass medallion from the NSA was affixed to his gravestone so anyone who read the inscription would know that Leonard Piper was, indeed, a hero recognized by the National Smokejumper Association.