Bennington-James Santo Leone, 95, of Bennington, formerly of Cambridge, passed away Monday, March 13, 2017 at his residence at Brookdale Fillmore Pond.

Born February 6, 1922 in Mt. Morris, NY, he was the son of the late Joseph and Nancy (Mazzole) Leone.

Mr. Leone graduated from Mt. Morris High School.  He then attended Geneseo State and while in college, he was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Force serving during World War II.  He served as a medic and spent 26 months in the Pacific Theater.  Following his discharge, he returned to Geneseo State graduating in 1949.  He continued his education at St. Bonaventure University graduating with a Master's degree in 1952.

Mr. Leone taught 6th grade in Cuba, NY and he then taught in Waterloo, NY where he met his wife, Genevieve.  They then relocated to Cambridge where he taught at Cambridge Central School retiring as the Elementary School Principal in 1984 after 36 years of service.

He was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Cambridge and also a member of the Cambridge Lions Club where he was a recipient of the Melvin Jones Award.  He and his wife spent many winters in Florida enjoying playing golf in the nice weather.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by 6 brothers and 1 sister.

Mr. Leone is survived by his wife of 63 years, Genevieve Sabatini Leone whom he married August 8, 1953;  his children, RoseMarie (Ron) Winiewicz of Bethesda, MD, MaryFrances (Joseph) Leone-Charbonneau of Manchester, VT, Genevieve Leone of Shanghai, China, Vincent (Eileen Denue) Leone of Mountain View, CA and Blaise (Sandra) Leone of Satellite Beach, FL.  He is also survived by his 7 grandchildren, Austin (Erin) Charbonneau, Aidan (fiancé Autumn) Charbonneau, Marco Leone, Marisa Leone, Ezekiel Leone, Victoria (Efren) Rosario and Valerie Leone; 3 great grandchildren, Sophia, Angel & Kayden and many nieces and nephews.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:00 am on Friday, March 17, 2017 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 17 South Park St., Cambridge with The Very Rev. Thomas Zelker officiating.  A visiting hour will be from 9:00 am until 10:00 am prior to the mass at the church.

Interment will be at a later date at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville, NY.

Memorial contributions in memory of Mr. Leone may be made to the Cambridge Lions Club, P.O. Box 292, Cambridge, NY  12816 or a charity of your choice.