Lt. Col. Patrick Joseph “LeeRoy” Daly

Friday, Aug. 29, 2025

June 28, 1984 ~ August 14, 2025

Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Joseph “LeeRoy” Daly, USMC (Ret.), 41, — a cherished and beloved husband, father, son, brother, uncle, Marine and friend—was called to God unexpectedly on August 14, 2025. 

Pat was born June 28, 1984, in Boston, Massachusetts. He moved frequently with his family to happy homes in Massachusetts, Colorado, Florida, Connecticut and finally Vermont, where he graduated from South Burlington High School in 2002. A fitness enthusiast, Pat discovered his love of hockey, martial arts, track and field, and became a beloved member of the high school hockey, soccer and track teams. 

Pat graduated from Boston University and was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps in 2006. Pat pursued marine aviation, earned his “wings of gold” and became a fighter pilot in the F/A-18 fighter aircraft, eventually achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. His 20-year military career included 12 years of active duty, including two deployments to Iwakuni, Japan and service at USMC aviation bases including Pensacola, Florida, Miramar, California, and Beaufort, South Carolina with Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons 101, 224, and 323. In 2018, Pat transitioned from active-duty service to the US Marine Corps Aviation Reserve. Also in 2018, Pat joined Delta Air Lines as a commercial pilot. 

Pat married the love of his life, Kayla Tawoda, in Park City on October 7, 2023. Pat loved her dearly and his Spirit will live on in her always. Kayla’s love for Pat – along with their two pugs and their daughter, Cherish Amara (who left this world July 30, 2025)  – was as immense as the universe. 

Pat was a deeply spiritual man who believed that Christ’s Holy Spirit was guiding him, and he encouraged others to “trust, and always follow the love.” 

Pat is survived by his wife Kayla Tawoda (Daly), parents Terrence and Theresa Daly, sister and brother-in-law Kelley and Nicholas Schwarz and their daughter Madeline, brother and sister-in-law Michael and Lida Daly and their daughter Lily, father-in-law and mother-in-law Tom and Anne Carol Tawoda, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Tommy and Kat Tawoda, and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, August 27 at noon at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 300 East 11800 South, Draper. Committal rite with military honors and flyover will follow at the Utah Veteran’s Memorial Park, 17111 South Camp Williams Road, Bluffdale.