Bob Leland, 1934-2026
Bob Leland, devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, entrepreneur, and lifelong supporter of the University of Michigan, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He was 92. Born in Detroit, Mr. Leland spent his childhood in Birmingham, Michigan. He attended Barbour Hall Catholic boarding school in Kalamazoo run by the Sisters of Saint Joseph before continuing his education at Gilmour Military Academy in Ohio.
He returned to Birmingham in his junior year of high school and graduated from Birmingham High School in 1953. He then enrolled at the University of Michigan, where he met the love of his life, Donna, his wife of 67 years. A proud Wolverine, he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and a member of the ROTC program. He graduated in 1958 with degrees in Business and Industrial Engineering. Following graduation, he proudly served his country on active duty at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and ended his military career as 1st Lt., U.S. Army Ordnance Corps. Years later, he completed the executive OPM program at Harvard Business School. Mr. Leland was one of three founders of Molmec, Inc. in 1959.
Over the years, he and his partners built the Michigan company from a custom molder into a systems integrator, supplying all the “Big Three” automakers with plastic systems. He served at different times as President and Chairman. The company was sold in 1998 at which time Mr. Leland entered retirement. He was proud of what they built together, providing opportunities for countless employees and value for their customers, but even more proud of the relationships they cultivated along the way.
A humble man, Bob Leland’s deep Catholic faith shaped his character and influenced the way he lived each day. He believed in helping others as a responsibility, and that every act of kindness, generosity, and compassion made the world a better place. He lived those values quietly and consistently, serving as an example to his family and to everyone fortunate enough to know him. His greatest joy was his family. He was a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grandfather and great-grandfather whose steady presence celebrated the accomplishments of those he loved, offered wise counsel without judgment, and demonstrated through his own example the virtues of hard work, integrity, humility and perseverance.
Mr. Leland also embraced life with enthusiasm and gratitude. He loved his friends and savored University of Michigan football, golf, duck hunting, sailing, painting, and fishing with them. He highly valued education and established the Leland Family Football Scholarship and the Leland Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Cardiovascular Medicine at U of M. He had a deep love for the quiet beauty of Northern Michigan and co-founded the L’Arbre Croche Club on Little Traverse Bay in Harbor Springs, Michigan, where his family and friends have spent many happy times.
Bob Leland is survived by his loving wife, Donna, his three daughters Lori (David), Pamela (Mark), and Paula, his adoring grandchildren, Robert (Kendra), Peter (Haley), Libby (Max), Brison, and Caroline, his two great-grandchildren, Kalista and Madeline, and his two sisters, Genevieve and Elizabeth. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert C. Leland; his mother, Virginia; and his brother, William Joshua. A Celebration of Life, to be announced, will be held in Harbor Springs, Michigan. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Robert C. Leland, Jr. to the Little Traverse Conservancy Northern Michigan Land Trust or to the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Share memories and sign tribute wall at AJDesmond.com.
