I knew she was ill. I knew she had slipped into a coma. And at 4 this morning I woke up and knew of a certainty that she was gone. Now Kath got a call a few minutes ago confirming that Leah Adezio had passed away yesterday.
Leah was a wonderful fan, wonderful pro, wonderful friend, wonderful person. She lost a sister to an early death, a brother to a violent death several years ago, and then her husband passed away unexpectedly. And now she’s gone, liver failure followed by kidney failure.
Kath and I saw her last Friday in the hospital. I didn’t say anything until now because her brother, Brian, wanted to try and keep things quiet (Kath posted about it but only in the most general and anonymous of terms.) Her skin had gone yellowish green, stark against her red hair, and I was fortunate enough that she was still conscious, still had her mental faculties. We never uttered the words “Good-bye,” but we both knew. She was in and out of consciousness Saturday, but mostly out. I came by on Sunday, hoping to have a chance to talk to her one final time. She was breathing heavily, labored. She’d been sleeping since late the previous day and although I stayed for a bit, talked to her gently, she never opened her eyes. Finally I leaned over as I was about to leave and kissed her on the cheek. In her sleep, she reached up, touched her face where my lips had touched hers, and smiled warmly. But she never woke up.
She helped me through a very difficult period in my life, and she will never have the chance to see her two great sons start their own families or bounce grandchildren on her knee. It is bitterly unfair and I rage at the injustice of it all.
I will miss her terribly.
PAD
• 
I’m so sorry. Reading Kathleen’s I knew things were bad.
I don’t think I ever met Ms. Adezio at a convention but she, from the posts on this board that I can recall, came across as a lovely person with a good sense of humor. My condolences to all her friends and family.
My deepest condolences to her friends and her family.
Peter, thanks for the word.
Here’s to shared friends.
Thanks for letting me know, Peter – I hadn’t gotten the call yet.
Peter, thank you for letting us know. I’m going to be crying the rest of the day.
May she always shine in your memory.
My heartfelt condolences in this most difficult time.
I’m sorry for the pain experienced by her, her family and friends.
Obviously, I don’t know Leah or her family. Nor do I really know you, Peter, except perhaps to whatever small extent one can know another person from very, very brief exchanges in online forums like this.
I am nevertheless deeply sorry to hear about Leah’s tragic passing. From what you’ve described, she and her family have experienced far, far too many tragedies already. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family, and also to you, Peter. May you find solace in the memories of your dear friend, may you draw strength from those around you, and may God grant all of you the strength to bear this terrible burden.
Sincerely,
Bill Myers
I roomed with Leah once when we staffed the Friends of Lulu booth for a con in Philly. We had a wonderful time and she was a great gal with lots of wonderful stories. I hope that there is an afterlife with all the ones you love in it – she deserves it more than anyone I know…
Memory of happier (if weirder) times:
http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~dvandom/MidOhio/chesthair.GIF
That’s Tony Isabella with Leah.
No arguments from me at all.
My sincerest condolences, PAD.
I used to see Leah a lot in the ’90s at various conventions and she was sure to always greet me with a friendly smile and a hug. I took photos of her from time to time to irritate her as pals do. She did a Wonder girl sketch in my book. But I hadn’t seen her for a few years and would only occasionally read her online posts. It was only yesterday that I received the dire news of her condition from Robin and it left me stunned. And I remain so in her passing. I wish her family members & friends my sincere condolences.
Bob Almond
My condolences to Ms. Adezio’s family and friends.
Oh God, no.
I knew Leah from the Sequential Tart boards and Live Journal.
Very friendly presence and I’m sorry to hear that she’s gone.
My sincere condolences to her family and friends.
Thank you for the kind words, and yes. The sea rises from Aqualad’s tears, and it is my fondest hope that this wave of sympathy and goodwill can buoy both S and D through the tough times ahead. She lent a shoulder of support to me when my dad died suddenly a year and ahalf ago. I only hope I can do the same.
Rest assured the NYRF cast and vets will be boundless in love and sympathy- the word is spreading.
She was a bright soul and we will all miss her. I will miss her marshmellow peeps-themed antics at faire.
death is a big bag of suckage.
be well, see you in the funny papers.
John
aka Don Juan (NYRF 2003)
Captain Pico de Gallo (Stockwood RF 2002-2003 )
Peter —
As a friend of Leah’s since our time together in the APA TitanTalk, I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts and sympathies with everyone.
I learned of Leah’s passing last night from a mutual friend of ours and it still hasn’t fully sunken in yet. At this point, I’m not sure if it ever truly will.
Charles Skaggs
I didn’t know Leah from the comic part of her life – I knew her as a smart, sassy wench – a member of the International Wenches Guild and our message boards at http://www.wench.org. I never met her in person – but her personality showed thorough her posts and we spoke on the phone on occasion and found we had many things in common.
I feel such profound sadness at her passing – her two beloved boys – like my own, uppermost in my mind and heart. May they be comforted in their loss by knowing what an amazing woman their mother was.
I’ll miss you Leah – c’mon by and peek over my shoulder from time to time.
Wendy aka Esther h’Ormone
My condolences to you and your mutual friends and family, Peter.
It’s amazing how lives inter-connect. I never knew Leah as a comics professional, I knew her as a comics customer (and a dear ren faire friend) a lover of all things Aquaman. To find out only now that she was loved by one of my favorite authors makes cherish what parts of our lives we did share, and sad to not know her better.
Unfair is the only word I can use to describe her loss. It was unfair for her to lose so many of her loved ones while alive, and unfair for those of her family who survive her to lose another.
When I spoke to her last week, she knew it was bleak. She had put her ducks and peeps and pikachus in order. I asked if there was anything I could do for her, and she asked only one thing “love her sons” . For all I didn’t know of Leah, I know one thing, she loved. She loved her boys, she loved her family, and she loved her extended family that are her friends.
I’ll miss sharing sushi, talking about Aquaman, and silly peep e-mails. And I’ll miss her love.
My sincerest condolences, PAD.
I know that Leah would have been touched by your words. She was one of the really sweet people and will be missed.
Steve Chaput
I am sorry about the loss of your friend, PAD.
Mr. David,
I met you a few years ago at a convention and we spoke very briefly, but Leah was a very close friend of mine for many years. We lived near each other, I spent a great deal of time with her family and I was startled to hear of her illness and death so quick on the heels of each other.
She was a great fan of yours and she respected you a great deal. Thank you for writing about her and for visiting, I know how much it meant to her. My thoughts are with her sons and her family — I will not forget her.
Many kind regards,
Heather Long
I had just heard the news tonight and I am stunned and sadden by the news. I received my set of DC Hero stamps along with a envelope that had the Aquaman Stamp on it and I thought how much Leah would have have loved it.
She was the first person in TitanTalk to reach out to me. She made a 30 something fan boy feel comfortable with Fandom and all the drama that was TitanTalk. I was able to meet her and spend some time with her during a Friends wedding. The only other time we met was when she was flying to San Diego and had a 30 minute lay over at DFW. I drove to the airport and met her at the gate and walked her to her connecting flight. We had fallen out of touch due to life changes on my part and my lack of involvement with fandom. But I will always remember with great affection.
She was a wonderful artist and a fun writer. I loved her passion, I loved her laughter and she was a good friend to me as I was getting into fandom.
Sending the best thoughts possible to her loved ones. Please remember the words of Sir Walter Scott – “Death the last sleep? No it is the final awakening.”
Small comfort though they may be, my condolences go out to you and yours.
-Rex Hondo-
Baruch Dayin Emet.
I knew Leah years ago on the COMICS-PRO e-mail list. She was always kind and helpful. She was the first person to encouraged me to be open about my religion online. I still remember visiting Israel and her asking me to look for a particular type of Tallit for her son’s Bar Mitzvah.
We fell out of touch years ago. I kept meaning to rectify that.
Now I never can.
May you be comforted among the morners of Tzion, Mister David.
As sad as it is now, in the future try to remember Leah from before all this. I just hope that everyone hurt over this might take some comfort from all of our thoughts.
I’m so very sorry to hear this — she was a cool lady. My best to her friends and family!
Ah, now that did it. The waterworks are on, as they have been frequently for the last quarter year.
My condolences to Leah’s family and friends.
The other Lea
PAD, condolences on the passing of your friend, and to her family as well.
I was a friend of Leah’s, We meet many years back and she was a self appointed big sister to me while I was going to school in Dover NJ. I just wanted to thank you for posting such kind words about her.
Steve Jones
Gotta say I’m shocked speechless to hear this, haven’t talked to Leah in years. I knew her husband died a few years ago and dropped her an email expressing my condolences at the time but other then that we lost touch. I had no idea she was so sick. I didn’t know Leah that well, we used to hang out at cons and work the Friends of Lulu booth together back in the day but then the demands of “real life” came along and I stopped going to cons or FOL meetings as often. I wish I had known her better, or been able to see her one final time before she passed, but it was not meant to be. Above my desk as I type this is framed drawing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fighting Vampirella, with Buffy wearing an “I Luv Angel” button and the words “and of course Buffy wins” on the bottom. Leah drew this for me at a White Plains con we were hanging out in. I don’t remember how this drawing came about, whether it was something I suggested or just something Leah draw on her own and gave to me, but it has always been one of my most treasured possessions. My sincerest condolences to go out to her family and loved ones.
Rest well, Leah. You will always be remembered and loved as a friend, wife, mother, artist and a fan. Give David a hug for me when you see him.
Gregg Whitmore
I just relocated and subsequently I have been without internet for a few weeks as things get settled in. Upon checking my e-mail a few days ago the first thing I read was an e-mail about the passing of Leah.
As with many people you interact with online, I had never met Leah, but of the horde of faceless “strangers” she was one I had truly considered a friend.
This is sad news indeed.
— Michael Brown