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They fell in love on the ice. Now they’ll be the last to skate at Lloyd Center.
by Deb Knapp
Fri, August 7, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Updated Fri, August 7, 2026 at 6:41 PM
After nearly 60 years together, Jerry and Tally Leonard will take one last spin at Portland’s Lloyd Center rink before it closes for redevelopment. The skating couple met there in 1967 and became local fixtures. (KATU)
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — For nearly six decades, Jerry and Tally Leonard have shared a love story built on the ice.
Now, as the Lloyd Center prepares to close, the Portland couple is getting ready for one final skate at the rink that brought them together — and became a part of their lives.
On Saturday evening, Jerry and Tally will take their final spin on the Lloyd Center ice before the rink closes permanently at 7 p.m.
Their story began in 1967 when a skating coach told Jerry about a young woman in Portland who “skated just like him.”
Jerry drove from Yakima to meet Tally. After spending an entire day skating together, he says he knew he had found someone special.
“Skating brought us together, and that's what we've enjoyed so much to do together,” Jerry said.
The pair went on to compete at the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships. They married and raised two sons and built their lives around skating.
After nearly 60 years together, Jerry and Tally Leonard will take one last spin at Portland’s Lloyd Center rink before it closes for redevelopment. The skating couple met there in 1967 and became local fixtures. (KATU)
Since the late 1970s, Jerry and Tally have returned to the Lloyd Center rink four days a week. Jerry even scheduled patients at his dental practice around their afternoon skating routine.
Over the years, they became familiar faces at the mall.
“It's been a joy of seeing all these people and being able to talk to them; they are a blessing, you know, because they are so kind and they have thoughts about their own that might help you,” Tally said. “We tell them thank you for their kindness, and what a blessing that is.”
READ ALSO | End of an Era: Lloyd Center closes its doors after decades in Portland
The Lloyd Center is closing as the property is redeveloped. Current plans do not include a year-round ice rink.
The loss goes beyond one couple’s routine. Skaters say the rink has introduced generations of Oregon families to figure skating and hockey and has served as a community gathering place for more than 60 years.
After nearly 60 years together, Jerry and Tally Leonard will take one last spin at Portland’s Lloyd Center rink before it closes for redevelopment. The skating couple met there in 1967 and became local fixtures. (KATU)
Supporters are still collecting signatures in hopes of preserving an ice rink at the site.
The Leonards say they will find another place to skate. But they know there will never be another rink quite like this one.
For their final performance, Jerry and Tally will be the ones to glide for the final time to close the legendary Lloyd Center ice rink.
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They fell in love on the ice. Now they’ll be the last to skate at Lloyd Center.\
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After nearly 60 years together, Jerry and Tally Leonard will take one last spin at Portland’s Lloyd Center rink before it closes for redevelopment. The skating couple met there in 1967 and became local fixtures.
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