A Passing In The Night

In the midst of the election madness, the stubborn streak of campus killings, the free fall of the markets, and the hidden war in Iraq, a man of courage and hope passed away over the weekend.

Leo Greene has suffered with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) for the past two years. What made his story remarkable was that he covered his own slow demise on the pages of the newspaper he worked for in Ontario, California. Readers of his columns followed the ups and mainly downs of his battle with the incurable disease. Those who never met or talked to him (including this writer) were touched with his story. We learned about past problems with addiction, final trips he attempted to make, and generally putting things in order as he faced certain death.

As Leo continued to write, people from all over the United States and around the world began to listen in on his story.
We looked forward to hearing the truth about a muscle disease that literally tears a person's body and mind apart. Leo never wrote in self-serving terms and did not want our sympathy. He was a one person hospice team, alerting all of us to the brevity of life and the reality of death.

Ann Madden, Leo's roommate, found him in bed, slumped over a book. An avid learner and a man with a varied career path, it was fitting that he should leave this earth, eager to read and learn new things.

With all the sensationalism over politicians, celebrities, and others in the bright public light, it was a privilege to have known Leo Greene through the prism of his own words and thoughts.