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He lived life to the fullest and never complained that
his destiny was unfair. A ladies’ man and perennial optimist, he never gave up the
quest to find his soul mate. In this pursuit, he married five times to women he
adored. We don’t know what stories his ex-wives would tell if asked. Multiple
marriages seemed to be the norm for boxers. Even the famous Jack Dempsey had
married four times.
Leo was a championship boxer famous in his days in the
Navy. He trained many Golden Glove boxers during his career. As a feisty child
who misbehaved often and needed a lesson or two from his dad, he was knocked
out cold once when he reached for food impolitely at the dinner table and
forgot to duck. His dad made sure that he remembered his manners. He often said,
good thing social services were not around when his strict disciplinarian dad
used spanking, punishment, and rewards to motivate him - his life would have
turned out much differently. He learned early in life that discipline and
respect were the keys to success.
Leo’s dad, Herman, a heavyweight champion boxer himself,
had sparred in his heyday with Jack Dempsey, the Muhammad Ali of his time. Jack
Dempsey, nicknamed the “Manassa Mauler,” was the heavyweight world boxing champion
from 1919-1926. A large photograph still exists of the two fighting while the
crowds are cheering on.
Leo left behind numerous scrap books with newspaper
clippings, black and white pictures, and posters collected during his years in
the Navy, his boxing matches, and many photos of students he trained as amateur
Golden Glove boxers, whom he helped develop athletic skills and character. The
Golden Glove of America Inc. has been around since 1923. A few amateur boxers
trained by Leo have progressed into the Pan Am and Olympic Games.
Touching the faded pages, immersing into someone’s
private life whom I’ve never met, I
imagine the excitement of the match. I often watched games with my dad when I
was a child, particularly those of Cassius Clay, Muhammad Ali’s former persona in
the boxing world.
Leo’s two children and two surviving younger brothers did
not expect many people at the funeral. They were not even sure if the ex-wives
who were still alive would be there. To everyone’s surprise, the small church
in West Virginia was packed with former students who adored Leo and had come a
long way to pay their last respects. News had traveled fast in the boxing world
that he had departed. They never forget a champion or a first class trainer.
After a short service and a eulogy delivered by his brother Eugene, the funeral
procession lined up to accompany Leo’s earthly remains on his last journey to
the cemetery.
But the hearse did not go to the cemetery; it drove and
drove and drove until it reached very thick woods, the road became impassable
by car, and it finally disappeared. Leo was an eccentric through and through.
He did not want to spend eternity six feet below freshly mowed grass in the
bustling city’s memorial gardens. Leo wanted to be buried in his beloved woods
where he hunted frequently. The pallbearers were forced to carry his casket
through the dense woods for quite a long trek, heaving the casket, and taking
frequent breaks. When they finally reached the destination, a fresh grave was
dug by his hunting stand.
The family and the former students were not quite sure if
it was legal to bury someone in the middle of the woods without a proper
permit, but apparently it was because nobody came to disinter him. The preacher
held a quick service by the gravesite and Leo was lowered six feet under his
deer stand.
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