Jon Paul "JP" Leddy, the board president of the Golden Gate Business Association, died Tuesday, April 26 at his San Francisco home, the LGBT chamber of commerce announced. He was 55.
Mr. Leddy was found unresponsive in his home by concerned GGBA board members after he failed to appear for a meeting that he was scheduled to lead. The association said that Mr. Leddy died of natural causes.
Mr. Leddy had been chosen GGBA board president last October. He was the first Chamorro and Pacific Islander from the U.S. Territory of Guam to serve in the position in the 41-year history of the organization.
A gay man, Mr. Leddy told the Bay Area Reporter in an interview last year that he came out in 1996 and divorced his wife the following year. He was the father of four children and two grandchildren.
One of his daughters, Rissa Leddy, posted to Facebook that she was "grateful to have had a father like him."
"He encouraged me to be myself and stood by that my entire life," she wrote. "He encompassed the meaning of unconditional love. He has always been a great and good man. I will miss him."
Friends expressed surprise and sadness at Mr. Leddy's unexpected passing.
"JP was a bright light who found particular bliss in connecting people," Joel Evans, director of development and marketing at Openhouse, said in an email. "I knew him personally in the business world, but appreciated his determined way of bringing people together (as emphatically as he could!) in all the worlds he cared about, including his biological family, the Golden Gate Business Association, Openhouse, and the drag community."
Mr. Leddy was a Peacock Prince within the Imperial Court of San Francisco and a Prince Royale of the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco.
"He was so proud to be the Peacock Prince, and his loving friends – his true chosen family – among the Ducals and the Imperials are particularly distraught at losing this fine member, who knew no greater pleasure than to engage in and build our community," Evans added.
In his professional life, Mr. Leddy served as director of client relations at the Resource Corner, an executive recruiting and staffing firm. He was also a senior ambassador with the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce's Ambassador Club.
A news release from GGBA stated that Mr. Leddy had several accomplishments during his tenure as board president. Under his leadership, GGBA grew its base of members and sponsors, and hosted multiple gatherings and events for the LGBT business community. On April 7, the San Francisco Council of District Merchants Associations recognized GGBA as its Advocacy Organization of the Year.
About a week before his death, Mr. Leddy chaired GGBA's second annual Power Lunch program, where he delivered a moving address about the power of personal, social, and economic freedoms championed by the organization, according to the news release.
"JP was an amazing man and a great leader," GGBA board member Dawn Ackerman told the B.A.R. in a phone interview. "We're all feeling the loss."
Ackerman served with Mr. Leddy on the GGBA board for four years. She said that his leadership "added to the culture of GGBA over the last several years."
"JP really gave support to many people and really genuine in his love, acceptance, and inclusion for everyone," she said.
Ackerman added that GGBA, under Mr. Leddy's leadership, became a "diverse, embracing, and powerful business advocacy organization."
Raised Catholic, Mr. Leddy became a Mormon convert, he told the B.A.R. last year. He left Guam in 1991 for Brigham Young University in Utah. After graduating, he went on a two-year mission, said to be the first Chamorro to serve as a missionary. He was sent to Nashville, Tennessee.
In addition to his children and grandchildren, Mr. Leddy is survived by three brothers, a sister, and his mother.
A celebration of Mr. Leddy's life will be held Friday, May 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Patio Cafe, 531 Castro Street in San Francisco. Additionally, friends have set up a crowdfunding site to help the family with funeral and travel expenses as they are traveling from Guam and other parts of the U.S. To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/2eqj7n6k.