An old friend passed on a couple days ago.
Leonard Pitcock was just 44. Leonard was a man of swag, smiles and tons of fun. Now this guy could tell you stories to bring
the house down. The stories may or not be
true but definitely entertaining. To
have Leonard be a guest at your party would outdo a professional stand up, comic any day.
I met Leonard in the ‘80’s in a party thru other old friends
like his partner, Noel puyat and Il mafioso Don Vito Sarmiento. Leonard was so animated and told me about his
war exploits in Vietnam as part of a Spec Ops unit. I then found out he was 18, my age at that time as well. That would have made him four or five when
Saigon fell. He got me there.
We hung out whenever he was in town from abroad. My memories of Leonard are filled with his
animation and gift of gab. Leonard was
like the “stallion” that he would often talk about in his stories about
horses. He was one of the very few Cowboys and polo players I met in my lifetime. This
guy could really talk. I believe he
could also speak Portugese, Italian and Spanish in addition to his perfectly
fluent Filipino. All the time with
Leonard was fun. He was cheerful, generous,
funny and a man’s man. There were no
dull moments with him. A few years ago, I saw another side of him
when we hung out at Don Vito’s. Leonard
opened up to me about some things that were bothering him. This was the only time I saw him weak, vulnerable
and worried. Leonard was human after
all. Around this time, I also set him up
on a date at a friend’s bar. I remember
that night for it was a classic Pitcock performance. Not only did he dazzleh his date, the whole
bar listened to his stories about the Big House, hunting and Florida. All were laughing, enjoying every minute of the almost
three hours he was “onstage”.
What a guy. Slick, sly and super-fly!
There was a simple service in his honor last week. Leonard’s closest friends and family spoke of
what he meant to them. Leonard’s body
was abroad still and yet there were at least fifty people in attendance. I was also
touched by the priest’s opening for the mass.
The priest asked us to recall Leonard, reminisce how he touched our
lives and reflect on our own lives. He also
asked us to think about what is truly valuable to us. Was it material things? What do we really value?
I am glad I met Leonard.
That’s one thing I still value - being with cool friends like Leonard
and the crew in this short life. I only
regret not hanging out with him more.
Rest cowboy, ride into the sun, fly to the angels, on a stallion or a wake board. Flowers will bloom in your name. See you in the next, soon.
Salud y mas amor.
