Leon Lev Galitzin V, lived life to the fullest

Leon Lev Galitzin V passed away last week at 70 after winning a lifelong competition to live life to its fullest. The cause was death. After years and years of so generously sharing his big heart with all of us, it finally needed to rest. His doctors concurred.



Dad loved making sure those around him felt special and included. It was nearly impossible to resist the draw of his magnetic personality. He was fortunate enough to have traveled the world meeting countless people, but he never met a stranger. All of us will miss his enormous bear hugs, random acts of kindness and wildly inappropriate jokes. 

Leon was constantly writing down notes and ideas that inspired him or he thought would help him to make the world a better place. Among his personal effects, the family discovered unfinished writings indicating he was only days away from curing cancer, easing the nuclear tension on the Korean peninsula, and bringing peace to the Middle East.

There are also many unsent notes to all of us simply saying that he was thinking about us. We believe that he never mailed them when he discovered that TEXTING IN ALL CAPS IS FASTER. 

Leon's family were his friends, and his friends were his family. He went by many names. Dad, Husband, Grandpa, DP/GP, Son, Brother, Uncle, Friend, Papa G, Big Guy, and The Dancing Bear of Minsk to name a few. At risk of leaving someone out, let me say that he is survived by everyone reading this. He loved you. Well, not you, Bob Irsay. I am sure you are getting an earful right now.



Dad spent more Sundays with the Ravens than he did at church. He never wanted everyone to gather for his funeral. He wanted us to gather for his party.

We will be celebrating the life of Leon between 1 and 4 p.m., Sunday, July 16, at Casa DiLeo in Rehoboth Beach. We would love to see you there and share the loving, warm stories you have of him. The NSFW ones too!