Tonny "Ton" Piet van der Leeden

Tonny P. van der Leeden (known as “Ton”), age 96, of Montecito, California, passed away peacefully on August 16, 2025. A devoted husband, partner, father and friend, Ton lead a long life of service, artistic expression and quiet strength.

Born on August 14, 1929 in The Hague, Ton’s early years were marked by the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.  Although he did not like to talk about those memories, the few stories he did share made it clear that the war left a deep impression on a ten-year old boy.

Ton had a lifelong love for flying.  He joined the Dutch Air Force in the spring of 1949 and he remarked once that “one of the magic moments in my life is the day that I got to fly solo.”  After a few years of flying fighters for the Dutch Air Force, Ton began to think about the world beyond the Netherlands and in 1953 he emigrated to the United States and joined the U.S. Air Force.

Ton was always open to new experiences and this led him to be assigned to a U.S. Air Force motion pictures squadron creating training films, public relations films and reports to Congress. He excelled at this work, and this resulted in a successful 20-year career in film and television production. Always looking for new opportunities, he once more switched gears to the field of fund raising for nonprofit organizations.  He again excelled at his chosen profession ultimately retiring as Senior Vice President at The City of Hope.

Outside of work, Ton was a dedicated master of woodworking, creating beautiful animal sculptures out of raw wood. He also enjoyed cooking, baking, sailing and, of course, flying.

Ton was preceded in death by his first wife, Janice, and his second wife, Ireene.  He is survived by his son, Ron, his daughter-in-law, Christine and his life partner, Sherrie.  He will be missed.