CHESSIR, M. Leeds

The Verde Independent, Cottonwood, AZ May 10, 2006 M. Leeds Chessir, 97, of Cottonwood and formerly a long-time resident of Sedona, died Sunday, May 7, 2006. Leeds was born in Peabody, Kan., on July 10, 1908, and raised in Nebraska. After graduating from high school in 1925, he left for Chicago and worked for the National Air Transport Co., which carried the mail from coast to coast using former Douglas war planes. He was instrumental in opening the Consolidated Air Passenger office, handling all air passenger flights out of Chicago. His picture was in a 1927 edition of the Popular Mechanics magazine selling the first ticket on a regular passenger line out of Chicago, which was the Southwest Airlines in St. Louis. Having always been enchanted with seeing California's orange groves and roses, he left Chicago to be western representative of the Official Aviation Guide. He worked for the Los Angeles Times in their new building after the old one was blown up. Later he was a distributor for both the L.A. Times and L.A. Examiner. Leeds married Mary Long in 1934. They had two boys, Leeds Jr., an engineer, and Robert, a lawyer. Leeds was the first employee of the Disneyland Hotel, where he kept the books on the construction cost and later retired from the hotel as credit manager in 1972 when the couple moved to Sedona. Leeds was a long-time member of the Lions International and the Horseless Carriage Club in California, and a charter member of the Elks and Masons, Good Sam Club and the Sedona Car Club in Sedona. He had an avid interest in old cars and stationary engines and was active in the Arizona Flywheelers club. He had seven air-cooled Franklin cars at one time -- one had belonged to Mary Pickford's film producer and is now in the Montreal Canada museum. Leeds was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary, in 1987, and Ethel, his second wife in 1993. He is survived by his wife Joanne. He had five grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. He is also survived by five step-children and 12 step-grandchildren. A memorial service will be Friday, May 12, at 11 a.m. at the Westcott Funeral Funeral Home, 1013 E. Mingus Avenue, Cottonwood. An online guestbook is available at www.westcottfuneralhome.com.