\t\t\tMorton R Leiter \t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tOBITUARY\t\t<\/p>\n
Morton \u201cMort\u201d \u201cPapa\u201d Leiter, of San Jose, passed away peacefully at home on July 23, 2026, surrounded by his loved ones, just as he wished. Born on November 10, 1933, Mort was raised in Pismo Beach and carried with him throughout his life the warmth, humility, and generosity that defined him. He is survived by his beloved wife of 71 years, Marilyn Leiter. He was predeceased by his son, Bobby Leiter; his brother, Lionel; and his parents, Harry and Gertrude.<\/p>\n
Mort was an extraordinary father, husband, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and above all, he cherished being \u201cPapa.\u201d He found immense joy in his grandchildren, Emily (Francoise), Max, Rachel, and in his great-grandson, Levi. He loved to speak proudly of their kindness, happiness, and loving spirits. Mort was the kind of person others naturally admired\u2013warm, steady, generous, and deeply respected by everyone who knew him.<\/p>\n
A second-generation pharmacist, Mort owned and operated Leiter\u2019s Pharmacy in San Jose, California, for more than 50 years. To him, the pharmacy was more than a business; it was a community and a family. He cared deeply for his staff and treated them with loyalty, compassion, and respect. He also cared deeply for his customers, never allowing anyone to go without needed medication simply because they could not afford it. His generosity was not occasional\u2013it was woven into every part of his life, and he took that responsibility to others seriously.<\/p>\n
Those of us fortunate enough to love him knew him not only as a source of strength, but also as a best friend, mentor, business partner, and confidant. Mort treated every person he met with respect, dignity, and love. He led by example, showing his family and community what it meant to live with integrity, kindness, patience, and grace.<\/p>\n
His legacy will live on in the family he adored, the friends and colleagues who admired him, the countless customers he helped, and the many lives made better by his quiet acts of compassion. Mort will be remembered for his generous heart, his devotion to Marilyn and their family, his pride in being Papa, and the steady love he gave so freely.<\/p>\n
A service or celebration of life will be private as per his wishes. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Proctor Foundation at UCSF Department of Ophthalmology, Temple Emanuel or that those wishing to honor Mort do so by extending kindness, generosity, and care to someone in need\u2013just as he did throughout his life.<\/p>\n
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Hospice of the Valley, Dr. Amin Manuchehry, Dr. Kristin Welter, and all the caregivers whose exceptional compassion, care, and support meant so much to our family. And finally, with a smile and a very full heart, our thanks to Louise and Jackie for making sure Mort enjoyed one last Hendrick\u2019s Martini before he passed\u2013a fitting final toast to a man who knew how to savor life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Morton R Leiter OBITUARY Morton \u201cMort\u201d \u201cPapa\u201d Leiter, of San Jose, passed away peacefully at home on July…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413099,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[88,90,89],"class_list":["post-413098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-headlines","tag-san-jose-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}