Leon Locke...The Story Continues

"Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumns rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush,

In am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft star that shines at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there, I did not die."

Wave Publisher Leon Locke died last Friday. Leon’s death was a shock to all, with many grieving his loss. Now is the time to mourn, to feel the emotions that grip us. The sunshine will find its way through the dark clouds over the next few months and there will be a realization that the man known as Leon Locke has passed, but the relationships, stories, memories, efforts, and contributions live on.

There really is no way to understand death. It helps sometimes to think of it as part of a pattern of the universe. We are prisoners of mortality…of a limited number of years. But it’s that limit on our years, the small space within that prison, which propels life. It is knowing that we’re inevitably going to die that fuels all elements of living…

Leon Locke lived life. He didn’t just exist. He wasn’t just an observer. He didn’t sit on the sidelines. He was a participant. He took risks. He went into a business he knew little about, taught himself, pushed himself…and succeeded. And he did it without fanfare. He didn’t do it for applause or accolades. He did it for himself. He did it to make the most of his life.

It’s been said that death ends a life, but it doesn’t end a relationship. That is true for Leone Locke and the Rockaways. The relationship continues through his newspaper, where Leon can still give the community an opportunity to be heard, residents to know what’s happening in their own backyard, and provide a forum to take on issues important to the neighborhood. He has left behind a newspaper that carries his memory as it heads into the 21st Century.