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Len gave us the gift of generosity.

Perhaps no one knows better the amount of time and energy that Len put into the DNFL than Mike Soriano. Mike worked closely with Len the past few years in building a DNFL website. When the rest of the team owners headed for bed early during the third quarter of a Monday night football game that got out of hand, Len would stay up and figure out the final scores of that week's games. Then, he'd punch it all into his computer and get us our results. He did this for us for over 25 years and remember, for many of those years computers and the Internet weren't readily at his fingertips.

Writes Mike Soriano: "I will miss you, Len. I will miss your sense of humor. I will miss your intelligence. I will miss the way you dominated a room, first by your sheer size, then by your personality, which was many times bigger than your physical size. I will miss going for sushi with you and our Sunday morning conversations during the DNFL season. I will miss your 'Happy Paczki Day' greetings you sent out each year and the homemade birthday cards. Mostly though, I will miss your generosity and decency."

Michael Valentino adds: "I remember the first DePaulia function, a dinner on campus, I attended with my brother, Mark, I got to meet the people with whom I'd become friends with and see over the years, long after my friends at IIT, where I went to school, all went their own ways. There were a lot of new faces at that dinner function, faces that I'd come to know over the next 25 years. We'd root for the Blue Demons together, travel to Salt Lake City for the Final Four, play touch football at Peterson Park, get creamed in 16" softball at Sheridan Park, and meet at Len's and Jim's home in Niles, and later at the Kuziels in Lemont for annual DNFL drafts.

The DePaul gang never made me feel like an outsider and for that I am grateful. I always looked forward to DNFL draft day and getting together with a certifiably crazy bunch of guys in late August. It was always a summer highlight for me. The one person who literally lit up the room and made draft day special for me was the Commish, Len. I'll never forget that laugh of his, or how great it felt to go up to him and grab him. To wrap my arms around him. I can't think of a more lovable guy."

Len gave us the gift of determination.

Although Len was often known as the "Big Guy" many of us recall the athletic prowess he had in his college days.

Some of you may recall that Len gave up a wresting scholarship to a college in Idaho to attend DePaul University.

I had the pleasure of winning an intramural basketball championship at DePaul while a member of Len's team. Bill Bike recalls his days as a pretty decent softball player in the highly competitive Sheridan Park league.

Writes Bill: "Another thing people may not remember if they only think of the last few years were how great an athlete Len was. He was always big, but for a lot of those years he was big and in great shape. Not many of us probably remember that in the Sheridan Park league in 1982, he was probably close to 300 pounds but could actually play all ten positions that year, including positions for the fastest guys like shortstop and center field. We had the worst team in the league and we nearly beat the best team that year with Len in centerfield of all places, catching everything that the other team's bashers hit at him. Incredible."

Adds Michael: "There was one situation I did NOT particularly enjoy seeing Len. That was at Peterson Park, when Len was on the opposite team and his team was returning kickoffs. Seeing Len coming my way, in my lane, with Jim or Kelly or my brother, Mark returning the kick behind him, was unsettling. Funny, how I could be running full-tilt heading west, hit Len and immediately find myself heading east backwards. I never won any of those confrontations, and eventually--though it took some time--I got smart. I avoided the "Big Guy" on those returns!"

Now, Michael, I know you went to IIT and supposedly had the brains in the family, but how come it took you so long to figure that out? Why do you think I ran kick-offs back in the first place!

Len gave us the gift of courage.

Bill Bike shares this memory and on one of life's most important lessons: "Most people are remembering Len's sense of humor, and that is good, but I want to remember when he was most serious. When there was more than one candidate for DePaulia editor, the one who doesn't get picked for the editorship usually gets named associate editor, and then ends up quitting because they don't want to work with the person who ran against them. Len was one of the very very few who didn't get the editorship, was named associate editor, and didn't resign. This was an incredible act of courage and an incredible act of responsibility, putting the good of the newspaper, the staff, and the university ahead of his own feelings. It was an impressive act at the time in 1977, and becomes even more impressive as the years go by, as we see political and business leaders at the national and international levels acting like pouty children. Len, at the age of 20, showed more maturity than all the leaders of today put together.

"It's the old concept of the 'loyal opposition'--that any organization runs best of there is diversity of opinion. Having Len associate editor offering a different viewpoint made me a better editor and made The DePaulia a better newspaper. There were two very important incidents that occurred and Len convinced me to follow his advice instead of my own opinion and I was darn glad I did because it turned out he was right and I was wrong.

"He was the best, and I was proud to work with him on the Gazette for the last 20 years and prouder to have been his friend for 28 years."

As with all great gifts and all great gift-givers, Len kept on providing us with life-enduring nourishment right until the end of his time with us.

Jeannie shared this thought with me: "Len always kept his eyes open. He knew what was going on and what was important. He had his eyes wide open when he made the decision to go through surgery that had the potential to make his life better. He was not blindsided by this--we're the ones who are blindsided at the thought of living in a world without Len."

She added: "Len's passing is about love. We loved him. He loved us. He loved his family. He loved life.

"Len's passing is about heart and soul. His generosity of spirit gave us all a deep well of memories to help get us through this loss.

Len's passing is about commitment. He knew what was important and he knew what to do about it. He was the 'go-to guy' and never let a friend down.

"Len's passing is about remembering the halcyon days of youth--the 70s, the fun, the laughter, the lack of responsibility, the excitement of the unlimited possibilities!

"Len is also about compassion. He taught us a little something about pain and how to deal with it courageously and with dignity. He touched so many lives and lived so 'out there' that many people who could never understand the suffering brought on by obesity had an opportunity to grapple with real, sincere compassion, (not pity!)."



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