Mr. James Ernest "Leonard" McKinzie, age 89, of Kingstown, NC, peacefully departed this life on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at his residence. A native of Cleveland County, Leonard was born on December 22, 1935, to the late Ernest Bernice McKenzie and Argatha Violet Thompson McKenzie.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. at Eskridge Grove Baptist Church, Shelby, NC. The reception of family and friends will be from 11 until 11:30 a.m. Burial will be in the church cemetery.