The day before his sudden passing on April 10, Ed Leonard expressed the need to donate money to the Town of Montgomery Food Pantry.

“They’re gonna get hit hard and they’re gonna need all the help they can get,” he told his friends.

Leonard hoped that $300 would be donated to the Food Pantry. To honor his legacy as a public servant and advocate for Montgomery, the Town’s Democratic Committee created a fundraiser on GoFundMe.com to raise $750 for the Food Pantry. They have far surpassed their goal, raising $1,347 as of Monday evening.

“We were able to take this shared grief and turn it into something good and inspiring,” said Anthony Geras, a member of the Democratic Committee.
Additional money has also been donated directly to the Food Pantry.

Leonard was a pillar in the Montgomery community. He served as a Walden Village Trustee for many years and was chairman of the Town of Montgomery Democratic Committee from 2015 until his passing on April 10.

His death shocked the community, as he was active and led a healthy lifestyle. He frequently rode his bicycle and often tinkered in his garage with one of his numerous projects. Leonard passed away at the age of 79.

Democratic Committee Member John Lown described him as the glue that held the Democratic Committee together. He was the first point of contact for anyone who was interested in joining the Committee.

“He was humble, he was quick-witted. He knew the inner-workings of this town...,” Geras said. “We [the Town of Montgomery Democratic Committee] owe everything to Ed and we are going to miss him.”

A celebration of Leonard’s life will be scheduled for a later date when his family and friends can gather. The Democratic Committee hopes to continue to donate funds to the Food Pantry, as Leonard would have wanted.

“We cannot think of a better way to honor Ed then continuing to help people,” the Committee wrote on their GoFundMe page. “Thank you Ed for inspiring us and we will keep your legacy alive through our work!”