Leonard V. Oliva, better known as "Lenny" by those who knew and loved him dearly. Lenny was born to Jean Garcia, who was born in Brooklyn New York and his father Lucky Oliva who was born in the Philippines. His mother was a designer for McCall's Magazine and his father was in the United States Navy. Sadly, his mother passed away when Lenny was two after a long battle with leukemia. Upon her passing he was raised by his maternal grandparents, Angelina and Marshall Garcia and his aunt, Kathleen Esmilla. He graduated from Susan E. Wagner High School. For many years Lenny worked at Republic National Bank as a courier. He loved his opportunity to travel into the city each morning and see all of his friends. He loved nice clothes and he took great pride in the way he looked going to work. His hair had to be just right. Looking good was of great importance to Lenny.
He was kindhearted, caring, talkative, generous....a "kind" sweet soul who would do anything for his family and friends. His love for his family was quite evident. He loved to be surrounded by his cousins and enjoyed any time he could spend with them. When he was younger he traveled to the Philippines with his Aunt Kay, Uncle Joe and cousin Barbara to see the country where his family came from. He also had the opportunity to make several trips to Ottawa, Canada also with his aunt, uncle and cousin. There were other family trips with the family to Cooperstown, New York and Ocean City, Maryland. He loved spending time with his cousins Tommy and Jean at the Jersey Shore.
He was extremely proud of his Filipino/Italian heritage. He loved his Filipino and Italian food. He was an avid lover of anything pertaining to Harley Davidson, he was obsessed with motorcycles and always hoped that he would own one. He loved his New York Mets, New York Giants and New York Rangers. He was able to go to several Met games over the years and even a Ranger game. He just loved watching them all but oh boy watch out if they lost, his temper would flare! He enjoyed his walks to the corner store to buy his newspaper and talk to his neighbors to find out the latest news on the block.
Lenny passed away peacefully on Sunday morning April 14th at 5:15 AM. If anyone were asked to describe Lenny, there is no doubt they would say he was a "sweet soul". He was genuine, pure, compassionate and loving. All he ever cared about was making sure that his family knew how important they were to him. To say that he will be missed is a mild understatement. His was a life filled with many challenges from a very early age but his true strength was displayed in the last few months where he battled cancer, diabetes and Stage 5 kidney disease. He was brave, showed true strength while undergoing so many treatments and going to so many doctor's appointments. We all wish that life would have been a little kinder to someone who never meant any harm to anyone. Lenny, we hope that you are now at peace reunited with your mom and all those who were near and dear to your heart. Ride that Harley into the sunset and finally do all of the things in life you always wanted to do. You will be loved and missed. Rest in Peace Sweet Boy!!!
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