Lenard W. Hairston

Celebration of Life Services for Mr.Lenard W. Hairston will be held Saturday, May 22, 2021, 11am in our Gwinnett Chapel. Burial at Eternal Hills Cemetery, Snellville, GA. Visitation will be held Friday, May 21, 2021 from 12noon-8pm at Gregory B. Levett Sons Funeral Home, 914 Scenic Hwy., Lawrenceville, GA., 30045. 770-338-5558. Please visit our website to extend condolences On Sunday May 16, 2021 Lenard W. Hairston passed away peacefully at the young age of 74. Lenard was born March 27, 1947 in Martinsville, Virgina to the late Alice Preston Hairston-Moore and George Hairston. Along, with his mom, stepfather, Oliver Moore and siblings, the family later moved to Gary, West Virgina they later relocated to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Lenard graduated from Central High School in 1965 where he received academic honors and excelled in sports. He was all City-Team Quarterback 1st 2nd and 3rd yr. He received a Key to Central High as the recipient of the Best Citizen award. He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame at Indiana High School. Naturally athletic, he entered Kent State University in Ohio on a Football scholarship while becoming a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. While there he again excelled in sports and academics graduating in 1969 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Education. It was here that he met his first wife, Jacquelyn Hairston. He later received his MBA from Clark Atlanta University. Lenard was a motivated strategist on the field and off the court. His sharp management skills and values-led approach resulted in continued promotion and the deep respect of colleagues during his tenure at International Harvester. He later accepted positions with Gulf Atlantic Distribution and Anderson Clayton, DuPont and AFC Enterprises. All in leadership roles. Filled with enthusiasm, energy and drive, Lenard and his son Michael took the leap toward realizing his lifelong goal – founding a family owned company in 1995 known as Happy Faces Personnel Group, Inc. It is there he earned the name “Mr. Happy Face”. Happy Faces has and continues to provide employment opportunities for the communities across the state of Georgia for the past 25 years. Always true to his nickname, Mr. Happy Face, Lenard envisioned the agency as a business that engendered “happy faces” by helping others and promoting positivity and honest values. He modeled these values not only in the way he built ad ran his company but also in putting people first and nurturing relationships. He always believed that the foundation of achievement is education and he put this belief into action as a tutor and mentor at Tucker High School for many years. Lenard met his beloved wife Edwina Berry (Hairston) in 1993. They later married in March of 99. Lenard and Edwina shared values of hard work, positivity as well as passion for life, sport activity, and strong social ties. She continues to ensure that the company lives up to its own high standards. Between the business, traveling and entertaining, she and Lenard enjoyed many adventures together. Whether on the tennis court or in the conference room, Lenard cherished Edwina as a wife, partner, supporter and later caretaker, but always dearest friend. Lenard held a lifelong passion for athletics- basketball, football, and softball in particular-he was active for many years with the Spartans Athletic Club and helped lead their basketball team to numerous championships. He was a multiple gold and silver medalist over the course of several years in the US Senior Olympics. The awards, honors and recognitions he has been granted, whether they be for sportsmanship, athletics, or his achievements in business, are myriad. Always keen to leverage his company for the greater good, he has sponsored the Happy Faces 40 and over softball team for over a decade. In recognition of these achievements, the success he modeled and contributions he made while at Kent State, Lenard was invited to participate and served on the Kent State National Athletic Development Council. His involvement with his alma mater ran deep and remained a source of pride, fulfillment, and joy to the last. He was twice inducted into the Kent State Hall of Fame and won the University’s prestigious Legacy Award in 2016. As serious as he was about business, Lenard was Mr. Happy Face. He loved a good laugh shared, meeting new people, entertaining others with nearly unbelievable stories of his escapades as a child, and especially, time spent with his family. Even during the last hours of his battle with complications caused by cancer, Lenard’s irrepressible positivity and gratitude shone. He made humorous comments, sought to put nurses at ease, and expressed his love and pride in his family. Lenard was preceded in death by his mother and stepfather. He is survived by his wife Edwina, daughter, Monica (Mark) O’Connell, son Michael (LaToria) Hairston stepdaughter Walida Swaggard, grandchildren Michael Angelo Hairston and Gabrielle Angelica Hairston and Manuel Jones IV, siblings Geraldine Heath, Kenneth Hairston, Connie Lambert, Alvin (Ellen) Hairston, and Carolyn Moore, as well as a host of many other family members and friends.

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Lenard W. Hairston

March 27, 1947 - May 16, 2021