Leonard Dino Sr., remembered as a “warrior in his faith” and for a deep-seated devotion to his family, died Dec. 4 at the age of 91. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 13, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.
Mr. Dino was a businessman and longtime supporter of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. He graduated from Christian Brothers College High School in 1948 and St. Louis College of Pharmacy in 1952. In 1967, Mr. Dino founded LDI, an independent, integrated pharmacy services company founded and managed by pharmacists.
Mr. Dino was an active member of St. Anselm Parish in Creve Coeur. He was a founding board member of the Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri; served as president of the Serra Club; was active in the Order of Malta, in which he spent six years as area chair; and was a Grand Knight of the Holy Cross with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He and his wife, Patricia, received the St. Louis the King Award in 2017 for leadership and stewardship through generous gifts of time, talent and treasure.
Patricia Dino described her husband as “the rock that kept us going.”
Mr. Dino’s Catholic faith was very strong, Mrs. Dino said, adding that he was known for his devotion to prayer and often prayed with his children in the car as he would take them places. “He knew that everything good that happened in his life came from God,” she said. “He really believed in giving and helping. He never wanted any accolades; he did it because he thought it was important. He felt like God expected him to do these things, and he did them — and he did them well.”
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Patricia, five children: Patricia Sauerburger, Maryanne Gallen, Leonard Dino Jr., Grant Dino and Brian Dino; a brother, Paul Dino; 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, William Gallen.
A private burial will take place in Resurrection Cemetery.
