Myrtle Judith Shaheen Leonard, of Hamden, CT departed this life on July 23, 2013. She was the daughter of Joseph and Cora (Copeland) Shaheen. She was predeceased by her husband and best friend, Ira Marshall Leonard. Myrtle was born in Providence , RI on September 4, 1936 , and grew up in Cranston . She graduated Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA with a BA in History and received her MA in history from NYU in 1964. She lived in Queens , NY with her husband, Ira, until they moved to Hamden in 1968. She loved teaching and started at Lindenhurst High School on Long Island. After moving to Hamden in 1968, she stayed home to raise her children, and returned to teaching as an adjunct lecturer in history at Southern Connecticut State University from 1979-2002. She also taught courses at the University of New Haven and was the Hamden Town Arts Coordinator in 1980-81. She served on various boards, task forces and committees for many organizations. She served as Scholarship Chairwoman for The New Haven Woman's Association from 1994-2004 and was also a member of The New Haveners. She is survived by her two wonderful, loving, sons and daughters-in-law, Andrew and Shersten (Killip), and Christopher and Buffy (Armstrong) and her precious grand twins, Benjamin and Sarah. She is survived by her sister, Nancy Sargeant and brothers, Thomas and Douglas Shaheen as well as brothers-in-law, Richard Sargeant, Joseph Maher and James Rodenmacher, nieces and nephews. The visiting hours will be Friday, July 26th, from 4 to 8 pm with a celebration of Myrtle's life at 7 PM at Beecher & Bennett Funeral Home, 2300 Whitney Avenue ., Hamden. The interment will be private. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, please, contributions in her memory may be made to the Myrtle S. Leonard Memorial Scholarship Fund. Contributions payable to: SCSU Foundation Inc., 501 Crescent St., New Haven, CT 06515. Please indicate in memo section, Myrtle S. Leonard Memorial Scholarship Fund.