Untitled Sermon (8)

Start with Swing Low - Lady Black mambas (3.56)

It is my privilege to welcome you here today to celebrate the life of Leo Vincent Smalle.

We join together to remember, to consolidate our memories, to pause, to smile

We join together to support each other in our loss and our grief

To consider our own mortality, and what the impact of the footprint of Leo’s life on ours, means in the light of eternity.

May I ask that we take a moment to pray.

Our Lord, we acknowledge your presence here, and come before you today. We are here because we love him and we want to cherish our memories of him, we want to honor his life, honor him, and support one another as we grieve his passing.

We invite you into this moment, its not a normal moment due to the restrictions, but thank you regardless of these circumstances - you are a God of mercy, who promises to comfort us, particularly when we lose our loved ones, and so in these moments now, and in the time ahead, please bring comfort and mercy to us as we remember, and share fondly all that she was to us.

In the mighty and holy name of Jesus we pray.

Amen.

A short Tribute - (by Nathan)

Leo’s Eulogy With Love

Leo Vincent Smalle had a full and happy life.

Leo was a quiet and gentle man. He made a calming and inspirational impact on so many people’s lives.

Leo was born on 3rd September 1955 in the Parish of St James, Butlers Village, Nevis.

He was raised by his Grandmother, Amelia Wilkins.

Amelia brought Leo and his older brother Sebastian to the UK in the late 1950’s. They settled in Leeds joining their mother and younger sister Yvonne, where he spent all of his formative years. He has a much larger extended family of whom he is closest to his sister Norma. Leo then spent his entire adult live in Leeds, until moving to Huddersfield in 2015 with his wife Yvette.

Leo attended Cowper Street Primary School, Primrose Hill High School and Kitson College, graduating with a City and Guilds Cert in Fabrication and Welding Engineering in 1979. He then went to work for A. N. Marr Engineering as a sheet metal worker and later after gaining further qualifications took up a position as a Design Draughtsman. In a volatile economy, Leo was made redundant and became self-employed working for many different companies across northern England. In 2013 until he retired Leo re-entered fulltime employment with Verder Ltd., Castleford.

In the late 1960’s Leo met Yvette Sheriffe at high school. They became an item in 1974 and were married 1976. Six years later, the twins were born, Nathan and Natuley. Leo was a loyal, devoted and loving husband, last year he and Yvette celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary.

As well as his family, Leo was committed to working in his community; as a youth worker, a volunteer and a committee member. He was an accomplished sportsman in rugby, athletics, basketball and for 30 years as a Sensei to 100’s of students, teaching Aikido to both children and adults. He had many additional hobbies/skills including carpentry, metal working, cooking, gardening, photography as well as up-cycling and designing furniture and jewellery. He turned his hobbies of design, up-cycling and carpentry/metal work into a small fledgling business aptly named “Smalle Tings”. His latest venture was authorship; he had started documenting his ideas and writing a book on his particular philosophy and approach to modern Aikido and how he believed it could be applied to life in general.

There are so many good memories of Leo; his dimpled smile, his softly spoken words of wisdom and his love of using stories to teach and debate. The way when Yvette was freaking out; he would calmly sit back and find a solution. The family love and will miss his experimental cooking, including his hot pepper sauces, jams and pickles but especially his honey glazed ham and whole roasted salmon every Christmas. The Aikido stories are too plentiful and could go on for days. Mostly he will be remembered for his old school mix of discipline and good humour, no doubt many tales will be told when we all come together to celebrate his life. One of many things Natuley (BG) and Nathan (The Boy) appreciate most, is Pops, their father was a constant and unwavering presence, no matter what was going on in his own life or how much pain he was in, there was never any doubt that he would be there for them.

Leo was a remarkable person. He would do anything for his family and friends from cooking food for the church lunch club, laying floors, building wardrobes, fixing benches, helping decorate, making jewellery to graphic design projects. As so many of you have acknowledged in your many messages of condolences and testimonies, he was a calm, patient and gentle man, but he was also a child at heart, a joker and a prankster. The family will remember him rolling in the snow, screaming on roller coasters and freezing with fear when rock climbing/abseiling. Yes, Leo was scared of heights but would do it to encourage his children and others. In his latter days he was suffering much more than he let on. On returning from his many doctor’s appointments, when we asked what the doctor said, he would simply reply with a shrug “nothing new”. This was another part of his brave persona not wanting his family and friends to worry.

Above all, Leo believed in God, his family and treating everyone with respect. He did not believe in holding grudges, he used to say, “… life is short and then you die”.

Leo; my husband, our father, brother, uncle, Sensei, Roshi, friend and colleague; thank you for enriching and being part of our lives. We are all going to keep you in our thoughts and hearts.

Rest in Power with our ancestors until we meet again. God Bless xxx

Tuesday - A poem (by Natuley)

My Favourite Feature

My favourite feature used to be my eyes,

I think they’re pretty.

I have recently changed my mind.

It has become my dimple,

It is subtle – not like yours Pop,

But I can see you in my face.

I had never really noticed,

Now I see you also gave me

Just this little piece of you.

Every time I miss your smile Pop,

It has become the simple way to find you.

The trouble is,

It means I have to smile too.

So now because of you Pop,

Suddenly I’m smiling all the time.

Last Words  - (Pastor Cobham)

We now commend Leo into God’s care and commit his body to the elements, ashes to ashes, dust to dust: trusting in God’s love and compassion.

Prayers - (Pastor Cobham)

Farewell song -  Search for the Hero  - M People (4.11)