June 21st, 2009
LeRoy the Great
“His true passion was loving and raising his family. He was most proud of all they did together.”
—Marc, in the obituary
“I want to live where soul meets body / And let the sun wrap its arms around me / And bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing / And feel, feel what its like to be new”
—Death Cab for Cutie
“LeRoy and the spirit he’s carried and permeated throughout our family during his lifetime.
—Michael J. Mason
12/21/21—6/19/09
LeRoy, ever the humble guy, liked to brag that when he was born, God said “aha!” and started making the days longer (winter solstice). And, in his death, he almost made it to the summer solstice and the shortening of the days again, making things even more full of meaning.
Obituary (also hosted locally for preservation)
…because it’s not just him, or her, but it’s the 7 kids and the 7 spouses and all of the grandchildren and everyone whose life he’s lit up.
I’m having a hard time writing this all out, because how can I possibly do justice to all of these great things that LeRoy The Great truly was? But it does no good to just sit, and so I write, and write.
Michael’s quote above says it best. There truly was—is—a spirit that Grandpa created and sustained throughout our whole family and his life. I think we all picked up on it, consciously or not, and I can only hope that we continue to permeate such a spirit throughout our own lives.
What surprises me sometimes is just how much he did. Not that I don’t think he is capable or that I don’t understand just how smart and talented he was; but his force in and with the family was so strong and so valuable that that’s what, when you look at it firsthand, is what you take away.
Spending those last days in Baraboo only strengthened that lesson. I’m so, so grateful that I got to spend that time with him, to hear his last stories and see him smile and tell me that “out of all of you grandchildren, not a bad apple in one of you!” (I told him that there was still time for that, ha.) The night and day in Baraboo with Grandma and Jane and us doing our best to take care, and the days at the hospital and between there and Roblee Rd—I was pretty lucky to be there for that and with this great, great family. And that’s just it—it wasn’t just being lucky to spend time with Grandpa, but to witness how such a family comes together and does whatever it takes to make things as right as they can be—every single one of us. The lesson continues.
I ran into Alyssa yesterday and she said some truly wonderful things. In one of them she made an observation that it’s not just this one guy&dmash;LeRoy—but it’s the kids, the grandkids, so many people that he’s brought into the world and, in a sense, made us into who we are. Sure, there are other factors, but where would we be without The King?
Roy’s Family would like to than…Lisa Burke, for [her] kindness and special efforts over the last month of his life.” Indeed, unending thanks to Lisa. She is truly incredible, and we can never thank her enough.
I guess what I’m finding when I write this all out is that I can’t do it justice, but that the best I can do is to take what I’ve learned and been given and grown up in and use that as a basis for the rest of life—just as I’ve unconsciously done prior. Cling on to life, and be grateful for every single day. Spend your life with the ones you love. Teach your family to hold on to one another by example, and to make each person feel as important as they really are. Show up, stand up, cheer and clap. Be thankful for the people who helped or forced or paid for you to get an education—like Pauline pawning off $50 of her jewelry, it’s worth every bit. Take care of your health and fight your way through setbacks. Do what you can with your talents to give back and take care of those around you. And, if that’s your nature, be as charming and silly and funny as you can to everyone you meet, because you might just light them up.
“It was good of you to see me!”
There’s so much more, but you know how it goes.
So on this day, the summer solstice, six months before what would have been his 88th birthday and a month and some days before his and Kathleen’s 65th wedding anniversary, the day that we go to Madison and then Baraboo and then Burlington and then back, I feel so much gratitude and fortune. Fortune to be born into this family, and gratitude for what LeRoy The Great and Kathleen and every kid and grandkid has taught me. People go away, but as a Mason, your family is forever.