Leon Florrent Vercruysse

Leon Florrent Vercruysse, 99, of Boyne City, passed away peacefully on April 1, 2026, at Grandvue Medical Care Facility in East Jordan.

Leon was born October 11, 1926, in Detroit, Michigan, to Alphonse and Margaret (Van Damme) Vercruysse, the oldest of five children. He was raised in Detroit and spent his senior year of high school in Ypsilanti.

At 18, Leon enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving as a signalman in the Pacific during World War II. During his two years of service, he logged approximately 52,000 nautical miles.

Following the war, Leon pursued his passion for baseball. He attended the Orlando Stripp Baseball School, where he was one of 33 players selected from 145 to receive a minor league contract. He played four years in the minors, primarily at first base.

After his baseball career, Leon worked in plant protection at General Motors. He also developed a love of flying, earning his pilot’s license in the early 1960s and owning several small aircraft. He delighted in sharing that passion, including memorable trips with his nieces.

On May 3, 1969, Leon married Madeline Mary DeBacker at St. Alexis Church in Ypsilanti. The couple later settled in northern Michigan, where they enjoyed life on Lake Charlevoix, hosting family and friends and creating lasting memories on the water.

In retirement, Leon remained devoted to baseball, attending Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camp from 1991 to 2001 and forming friendships with players including Alan Trammell, Al Kaline, and Bill Freehan. He and Madeline spent winters in Lakeland, Florida, and summers in northern Michigan. Leon also volunteered at Camp Quality USA Michigan, supporting children with cancer and helping create meaningful experiences, often arranging Tigers game tickets and visits from former players.

An adventurous spirit, Leon spent winters skiing in Aspen, Colorado, and proudly embraced his Belgian heritage. In 2001, he traveled to France and Belgium to reconnect with extended family. Over his lifetime, he donated more than 21 gallons of blood through the American Red Cross, helping save hundreds of lives.

Madeline preceded him in death in 2015.

In 2017, Leon was honored with a Quilt of Valor for his World War II service. That same year, he traveled to Pearl Harbor with family, where he was deeply moved by the gratitude shown to him, saying, “It makes you feel like you won the war all by yourself.”

On July 4, 2018, Leon married Caroline (Colter) McGeorge in Boyne City. They shared time together in Michigan and Florida, and she remembers him as a man of exceptional kindness.

Leon is survived by his beloved wife Caroline; siblings, Ann Marie (Vercruysse) Kirtley and Sylvia (Vercruysse) Meeks;  stepchildren, Clark, Bruce and Brian McGeorge, Leslie (McGeorge) Warner; nieces and nephews Steve Vercruysse, Mark Vercruysse, Victoria (Roger) Blasey, Kathleen Perkins, Paul (Theresa) Vercruysse, Andrea (Dan) Herman, Mary Karin (Doug) Hulbert, Margaret (Steve) Kirtley-Sternberg, Regina (Jean-Philippe) Nicolas, Michael Meeks, Gregory (Shannon) Meeks, Todd (Donna) Meeks, Douglas (Greg) McNeilly-Meeks, Misty Neilly, Gabrielle Neilly, Daniel (Mary) Moellering, Sharon (Martin) Brooks, David (Ellen) Moellering; and many great-nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Madeline; in-laws Jules and Elizabeth DeBacker; brothers Bernard and Richard Vercruysse; sisters-in-laws Aline (Cox) Vercruysse, Margaret “Peg” (Staskievitz) Vercruysse, Germaine DeBacker, and Adriene Moellering; brothers-in-law Thomas “Tom” Kirtley, Eugene “Leroy” Meeks, Heinz Moellering; nephews Daniel Vercruysse and Michael Vercruysse.

Visitation will be held Thursday, April 9, from 5–7 p.m. at Stackus Funeral Home in Boyne City. A funeral service will take place Friday, April 10, at 10 a.m. at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Boyne Falls. In Leon’s honor, please feel free to wear your Tigers gear. Interment will follow at a later date at Maple Lawn Cemetery in Boyne City.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Camp Quality USA Michigan or the Boyne City Rotary Club.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Grandvue Medical Care Facility for their compassionate care.