I cannot express the incredible loss I know his family feels, so I wont attempt to. I know how we, his close friends feel. To see my friends Jim, Jason, John and Eric experience the pain they were in on the day we said goodbye is enough to make anyone rethink their effect on the lives of the people who love them.
I met Leon in kung fu class I can't remember how many years ago. We were immediatly friends and training partners. He was always so driven that even though I had started quite a few years before him, he progressed very quickly which pushed me in my training. We would leave class at the YMCA and go upstairs to lift and work out more. Leon was one who would always think out side of the proverbial "box" and was the major factor in my seeking training in other martial arts. When Leon moved to Colorado and studied Tae Kwon Do, I decided to branch out as well and studied Kempo. When Leon moved back to Massachusetts we studied Aikido together and when he started studying the grappling arts I went with him. He was always a leader and I dont follow easily, but I trusted him. He eventually became the primary source for knowledge on the grappling arts to our school and the many others who trained with us. He was a very skilled martial artist and even more skilled martial arts teacher because of his ability to disect and understand applications and mechanics.
He was more than that. It's really amazing to me just how much Leon rubbed off on me or taught me directly and I dont just mean his sense of humor. Thinking back, he taught me to be a lifeguard, he was one of the factors in my career change to computer programming. He taught me trigonometry wich I had a horrible time with in school. He always helped me with anything I needed and I did the same for him.
Some times I think of the rediculous things Leon did or said that made us laugh. He was obsessed with knowledge even things that noone would ever need to know. Like very clearly defining what a Cretin is or what Agoromegally is and how some one who has it looks. Now you might say to your self that this is very cruel. Well anyone who knew Leon knows of his sense of humor. He absolutly would never hurt someone intentionaly even with his words. That being said, boy did he love a good roast.
Even my mother recently recalled a story from years ago. When Leon explained his theory on the ultimate self defense tool. A rock; yes I said a rock. The theory goes like this, "You can always find one, once you pick one up you can hit the guy in the head with it and if you have to run you can then throw it at him. Just like the cavemen did."
See the logic, its a beautiful thing. There are lots of stories and right now I can't think of them but I invite anyone who reads this to forward a Leon Story to me. We all miss him so much, the best way to keep him with us to enjoy and share the memories we have of him.