Birth date: Mar 18, 1955 Death date: Dec 20, 2020
On Sunday, December 20, 2020, Leon Joseph Case Jr., of San Diego, CA passed away in Hilo, HI. Leon was born on March 18, 1955 in Waterbury, CT to Leo and Patricia Case. In 1981 he married the love of his life Carin Vanessa Faz. T Read Obituary
Leon was a treasured uncle, and I’m so glad I got to spend so much of my childhood with him. One of my favorite things about him was his knack for finding ocean creatures. I will always remember when he handed me a tiny octopus he found in a tide pool when I was a little kid. My own kids were so impressed when he found this giant lobster. I was so grateful when at the time of my wedding, he gifted my husband something that had belonged to my dad. All my love to Carin, Jennifer, Jerome and Adrianna.
While Leon was a delightful brother-in-law, he was also a most valued neighbor -- always willing to help out, and knowing how to fix-it, or get things done -- invaluable. For those of us (me) that are not in that great of physical shape, keeping up with Leon on a hike up the hill was a challenge; and they only way to pass him on a bike, going up hill, at 8,000 ft, was to have a car.
We will miss Leon for so, so many reasons. ---
It was to our great advantage when Leon and Carin moved into the little place down river from us in Waltonia. I missed no being closer to may family and they moved closer to my summer home!
Leon helped put in new windows at our cabin. Brought us discards from the YMCA like a newer and larger refrigerator. He brought a bench and carved a hawk in it so we could all watch the big horns . He fixed up bicycles for us(and many others.)
And Carin was even better as she came with sewing machines and cloth!
One of our best remembrance happened about 3 years ago. Jim and I and Leon and Bobbin, his dog, loaded up his truck with lunch, a canoe and Leon's kayak and spent several glorious hours at/in Carter Lake. We swam in our light weight clothes. Jim and I had never boated on Carter Lake and Leon showed us the shady coves. Even though Bobbin loved being in our canoe as he had room to shake, and we smelled like wet dog. It was just a wonderful day with Leon.
I will always think of my uncle Leon as being outdoors - ocean, desert, mountain - he was so curious about the land (or water) around him and just had to explore it. I remember he took me abalone hunting once after finding me a wetsuit (I was an utter failure at that). He was always up for seeing what swam or crawled through tide pools. When he hit the mountains, it was hiking and fishing.
He was so generous to friends and family. He rigged a water tank and pump in our cabin so I could live there through the winter while looking for a house. He built a beautiful bench to overlook the river.
He left the world a better place and I will miss him terribly.
He will be missed.
Leon and I both came home from work around midnight. On many quiet summer nights, I remember hearing him whistling a tune loudly as his bike approached Waltonia Rd. He was a good man and a picture of strength and health. Very sorry to hear about his passing. Our condolences to Karin & his family. Barb & Dan Fuller
Leon was my first outdoor climbing partner--he had the perfect combination of willingness to explore, and relaxed attitude. Very handy given that my first outdoor lead climb was interrupted by a hailstorm! I was so hoping to have the chance to climb with him some more! I will miss my beloved Uncle "Lumpy." My heart is with Carin, Jerome and Jennifer right now.
