Klawansky, Leo
Klawansky, Leo, 87, died Wednesday, February 15, 2023. Born in Brooklyn, NY, a son of the late Jack and Dora (Wigdorowitz) Klawansky, he had lived in Johnson City, NY since 2015, previously living Vestal, NY.
He was a chemist for Revlon, Hofman LaRoche Co., American Cyanamid and Hunt Chemical, retiring in 1990. Leo was an Army veteran. He was a member of the American Chemical Society and was and avid dancer and member of USA Dance. Devoted father of Paul Klawansky of Riverside, RI. Dear brother of Sidney Klawansky of Brookline, MA.
Graveside services will be held Friday, February 17, at 11:00 a.m. in Lincoln Park Cemetery, 1469 Post Road, Warwick. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 931 Jefferson Blvd, #3004, Warwick, RI 02886. Shiva will be held in private via Zoom.
I am sorry to hear of the passing of Leo. I worked with him when he was a chemist at Azon Corp. Even back then Leo would come to life and break into song & dance a few steps, at the mention of dance. I had no idea at the time how much he participated in “the sport”. Later in life i decided to go to a ballroom event and ran into Leo. He remembered me and could tell me things about our past interactions in detail. He was very gracious and danced with a totally “green” and non dancer. He gave me pointers and every time he saw me tried to help me. Later on when he had started to have mobility issues, he still went to the dances, mostly to watch, but I always made sure to get in a dance with Leo. I know it made his day to get out there and do whatever he could, because in his mind he was set free on the floor. I am grateful for his graciousness. Leo was a character and a special guy who only wanted to dance through life and take all with him on that journey. May he be in the great ballroom in the sky, at the height of his abilities, flying across the floor!
I will miss Leo on the dance floor. He was a great leader and really knew how to dance to all types of music. Since I was also a chemist, we would talk chemistry sometimes.
Left out of the obit was that Leo was a die-hard Yankees fan. He and my boyfriend Gary could talk about the Yankees for hours.
Leo stayed on the dance floor well into his elder years, doing as much as he was able. He set an example to us younger folks to keep dancing for our whole lives. I hope he is dancing in heaven.
I remember Leo from my earliest days of dancing. I remember going to dances alone and very nervous. I always felt relieved to see Leo there, he was solid as a dancer, and always danced very kindly with the beginners. As a newbie I was safe with Leo, Thinking of him now I smile. Thank you Leo.
I will miss Leo on the dance floor. He was always a lot of fun to dance with. He made it almost every week. He was a sweet man. God bless. He will be missed.