Oct. 6, 1940 – Sept. 25, 2019

Gary Allen Leek died on September 25, eleven days shy of his 79th birthday. Gary’s last weeks and his death were peaceful, quiet, gentle. He was living at Mountview Senior Living in Montrose, California in the memory unit, Chronicles. Alzheimer’s disease robbed him of his brilliant, creative intellect and, ultimately, his life. He would have declared this kind of death the ultimate irony, for someone as bright as he.

Gary was born on October 6, 1940 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Fred Allen and Marjorie Marie Leek née Glatfelder. Gary loved his birth year. As he told it, he was bad with numbers, but his birth year made it easy for him to calculate his age.

Gary attended the public schools in Tulsa: Emerson Grade School, Burroughs Grade School, Roosevelt Junior High School, and Will Rogers High School, graduating from the latter in 1958.  After attending Tulsa University for one year, Gary transferred to the University of Oklahoma in Norman, from which he graduated with a major in French in 1962. In 1990, he earned a Masters of Arts in Education from United States International University in San Diego.

Gary joined the Army directly out of college as a Lieutenant. He loved to regale those (who would  agree to listen) with tales of Checkpoint Charley in Berlin. Gary caught a glimpse of President Kennedy when he visited Checkpoint Charley.

Being assigned to the Berlin Brigade required that he have access to material classified TOP SECRET which astonished and  impressed all his friends. He was relieved from active duty in 1964 and honorably discharged from being a reserve commissioned officer in 1968.

After being released from active duty and spending some time in San Francisco, Gary taught English for two years at Perris Junior High School in Perris, California. Teaching in Perris was challenging but hilarious. There was  the girl whose name was Moiselle after the French word mademoiselle and the boy who screamed at Gary one day: “Make me, blue eyes!”

In 1969 Gary joined the English Department at Crescenta Valley High School in La Crescenta where he taught English until he retired in 2002. Likely hundreds of adults recall having English with Mr. Leek. They would also remember his humor and some of his stages: like the long hair and beard in the 70s.

Apparently his students called him DOT: Death on Tardies. If a student had no book, (s)he was told to clear her/his desk and sit. “Sleeping is not an acceptable alternative to not bringing a book. Sitting is a noble occupation. That’s all some people do their whole lives.”

A student: “You never want to see him really mad.”

Gary did have an unpredictable temper. In his later months with Alzheimer’s, however, he became lovable and huggable. During a short window of time, he even said, “I love you, too,” when we told him how we loved him.

Gary was a lifelong spiritual-seeker, eventually finding quiet and peace at the Vedanta Society of Southern California in Hollywood. Gary spent countless hours helping in the kitchen, meditating, doing service, and reading Vedanta literature: dog-eared and notated to the point of fragility. This was the only reading material he took with him when he moved into senior living at Belmont of Hollywood in November, 2017.

Both his parents preceded him in death as did his partner Maurice Walker and his nephew, Wallace William Jones II. Gary’s older sister, Janice  Joe Jones, née Leek, survives him as does Janice’s daughter Julie Ann Wolfe, née Jones.

Gary also leaves behind his loving friends, DeAnn Morris, Ro Rowan, Jan McCreery, Alex Sahagun, and Anthony Vincent all of whom cared for him in his last two years.

His family (biological and adopted) thanks the caregivers at Belmont Senior Living in Hollywood where Gary lived until the last three months of his life. We thank Mountview Senior Living, particularly Romeo, Amber, and Daniel. We also thank the angels who work in Chronicles, the “green shirts.” We express our deep gratitude to Olympia Hospice and  to Heather, the epitome of compassion, tenderness, and empathy. Thank all of  you for the respectful manner in which you supported Gary’s dignity.

Gary was a member of Neptune Society. According to his wishes, his ashes will be spread at sea. Gary left no instructions for a memorial service.