Obituary of Leonardo Contardo

Leonardo Contardo died on July 9, 2024, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, at the age of 100. Leonardo was born on June 4, 1924, in a small frame house built on a steep hillside in Duluth, Minnesota. His parents, Francesco and Maria (Abbruzzese Ronzano) Contardo, were emigrants from southern Italy. He was the eighth of ten children. After graduating from Duluth Central High School in 1943, he served in the US Navy during WWII. Upon completing his military service, he attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. With degree in hand and a strong desire to see the world, he spent a year in Tokyo, Japan, as an administrative assistant for the US government. He then returned to the United States, where he spent his remaining 35-year career on the East Coast, first as a customer relations manager for the Eastern Seaboard Railroad and then, in the final decades of his career, for Amtrak, in Washington, DC.

During his working career he lived in New York City’s Greenwich Village; Philadelphia’s Old City; Birmingham, Alabama; and finally, in the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia, where he retired and lived until he moved to Saint Paul in 2024 to be closer to family. He was active in every community in which he lived, developing deep and lifelong friendships.

Leonardo loved his townhouse in Alexandria’s historic Old Town neighborhood. He was a lifelong collector and seller of antique carpets. Upon retirement, he became active in several historic-preservation groups; was a member of and served in various capacities at the Textile Museum in Washington, DC; and had several exhibits featuring many rare carpets from his private collection.

Leonardo was a consummate host and loved to entertain friends and family. He was a mentor to many of his nieces and nephews, introducing them at an early age to the Broadway shows and museums of New York City and to the sites of our nation’s capital and its National Mall. As adults, they continued their visits, often with their families. Leonardo’s affection and his generosity endeared him not only to his large family but to the many friends he made over his long and well-lived life.

Leonardo was preceded in death by his parents; his nine siblings: Francis Ronzano Farrar, Mary Giuliani, Josephine Brozic, Ann Filson, Carmel Nippet, Robert Contardo, Frank Contardo, Jean Ansbaugh, and Joseph Contardo; and his niece Marie Puglisi. He is survived by fifteen nieces and nephews and their families, who will miss him dearly and who hold him affectionately in their hearts, as well as by many dearly beloved friends.

At Leonardo’s request, there will be a family memorial service in Duluth at a date to be determined. Memorials can be made to the Damiano Center, 206 W. Fourth Street, Duluth Minnesota, 55806, or to a charitable organization of your choice.