Mark Said writes:

The lion roars no more... perhaps on this earth but he has certainly roared to the afterlife.

L-iljun, as affectionately known by townsfolk across Paola, Żejtun and Tarxien, left behind and bequeathed to his family survivors and large array of friends a whole treasure of loving memories, priceless guiding principles and true Christian love built upon and accumulated over a whole span of close to a century.

Life and God really work in mysterious ways. While, for a good number of years recently, Nonnie was practically in seclusion from social and professional life due to a spout of well-being mishaps, dedicating his time wholeheartedly to his immediate family and a few close friends, upon the announcement of his passing away all the wonderful moments, memories and flashback history of his whole family life and professional career, previously seemingly forgotten, came suddenly and vividly back to life.

All who knew Uncle Non so closely should readily understand and appreciate that the tragedy of life is not death but what we let die inside us while we live.

Leo never let anything inside him die while he lived.

The packed Church congregation and sharing of all types of experience by all present involving Leo, stories of pain and anguish, sacrifices, altruism, humility, love, charity, wisdom, humour and rewarding satis-faction, presented a fitting farewell to this exemplary brother of ours.

It was a farewell to his physical presence here on earth but a very warm welcome to his living memory among us, which will continue to make its presence felt in us for a very, very long time, we, who had the advantage of coming across the path walked by Leo throughout his 94 years of earthly existence.