from Jon, Leif's brother

transcribed from Jon's words at the memorial service

I am Leif's older brother, and that morning it was about 34 degrees.

Leif (left) and Jon, September 2007.

Leif said, "That's alright, I'll start peddling and I'll warm up." He only had a T-shirt on! I had on not much more, but at least it was a windbreaker. For once, his scientific mind let him down, because he was just as cold when he finished as when he started.

However, you can see that he was the one who was used to doing physical things. I was not. But he and Susan coerced us [Jon and his wife, Donna] into getting into shape enough so that we could, together, explore a 60 mile rail-trail that was built from Jersey Shore, PA up to, roughly, Wellsborough. And one summer, they came down with their bicycles. I rented a trailer from a local outfitter, and she took us up, dropped us off up at Ansonia, and said "So long, good luck," and we started down.

Fortunately, we had had the foresight to take the cars as far as Rattlesnake Rock, aptly named because when the weather gets warm, that's where they congregate. It was fortunate that we did that, because we only made it down half the trail. But we had one more day, so we decided we were going to do the last half of the trail in a unique sort of way.

Where we stopped was a place called Slate Run, on Pine Creek  — that's the lodge there in the background. Donna and Susan took us out to Slate Run, and then we stepped out, and realized what we had said we would do.

Donna to the picture there, and they then headed down in the warm car, to the terminus at the bottom of the trail, intent on starting at the bottom and peddling at their leisure back up, toward us. And we started up there, and froze our you-know-whats off as we came down. Sooner or later we did come together. And I think we were a little farther down than where you [Donna & Susan] came up — is that right? [asking Donna, who nods] Yep, she agrees. …isn't that wonderful?


This picture is just part of the whole thing. It brings back memories when I see it. But, I will tell you, I am not a scientist. And when Leif would start writing and talking like he did to his sons [in his methodical way], I would just wave and say, "See you later."

However, our father was born with a great ear, and we both got it. I used mine to become a music teacher. He used his to play…well, how many of you have heard of a tune called Green Onions, by Booker T. and the MG's? It's a great blues tune, and for many years, when we'd first see each other, we'd scoot over to the piano and play Green Onions together for sometimes a half hour, just improvising and having a ball. So we had the music, too, to have fun with.

And he of course learned to play the guitar before me, because I was interested in so-called formal instruments. So I had to buy and guitar and teach myself how to play the guitar, so I could play Peter Paul & Mary with him, which he did very well.

Oh it was interesting.

There were many times when our kids [Leif's nieces and nephew] would come down, and Leif would be sleeping on the floor in the living room…but not very long, because we had four kids, and they were on top of him — and just, poor guy, his sleep was over for the night.

Donna: He loved every minute of it.

Oh I know he did, but he could be a little gruff with them too, just playing. It was fun.

And I don't know how many years both of them [Robin and Mark] were *that* big, their first Christmases. And Susan and Leif would come downstairs after finally getting them to go to sleep. And we'd start talking, then. And Donna and I would look over, and they'd be leaning on each other, asleep.

It was really…fun. It was really fun. And when the accident happened, it just tore a hole right in me, because he had lost something that he couldn't get back, and he knew it. There were windows — our whole family spent one year in Oregon [when Leif was 10] and he knew everything about that year, we could talk about that for hours. But that was just one window that opened up.

It's just hard to think that he's gone. It's just hard to think that.

But that was Leif. And I'm still his older brother. And I'll probably miss him forever.