Leigh Ellery - support to family
Donation protected
Hello everyone. My good friend Leigh Ellery, passed away on Saturday April 23, 2016, after a fourteen month battle with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The Lymphoma eventually won but not before Leigh put up the bravest fight possible and one I believe I could not emulate. I promised Leigh that I would do all I could to make sure his family had the support they needed as they move on with their lives after their tragic loss. Leigh was only 48 years old and leaves a loving wife, Debbie, and four kids: Wesley (19), Ben (18), Daniel (16) and Gracie (13). I decided to set up this 'campaign' as the medical costs of fighting the disease were horrendous and the loss of Leigh's annual salary is going to really hurt; Wesley is already in college and Ben is just about to start. Daniel and Gracie will no doubt follow.
From a bio perspective, Leigh was born in Australia and became a naturalized citizen of the USA after joining Rockwell Collins. I always enjoyed Leigh's 'Australianess' and, as a Brit, we shared the same 'off the wall' sense of humor. I gravitated to Leigh, after I joined Rockwell Collins, for many reasons. In short: I enjoyed Leigh's humor, I respected his engineering prowess, I appreciated his high integrity, and his selfless love of wife and family. We also shared a love of soccer and we had fun coaching together for a few years. I've added a few links below as context. I am providing you: a link to inform you of the terrible disease, the Lymphoma, that Leigh fought so valiantly; a link to take you back to Leigh's cultural roots in Australia; a link to the local soccer organization, Space Coast Soccer, that Leigh supported through his tireless coaching and mentoring of our local youth; a link to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Young Eagles program that Wesley and Daniel had joined to experience the unique experience of flying a plane; and a link to Leigh's favorite Aussie Rules football team, The Hawthorns, from Melbourne in his native Australia. It is interesting to note that Leigh changed country but not the name of the town he lived in; he was clever like that - very efficient and convenient! I also included a link to Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems, or TCAS, as they are more popularly known. This is part of the area of aviation safety that Leigh specialized in as a professional, chartered engineer. TCAS has transformed aviation safety and Leigh played a fundamental role in it.
I'll conclude by asking one and all to be as generous as Leigh was in life. I'd like to tell Leigh that I made good on my promise to look in on his family and make sure they are well but that will have to wait. Thanks for reading.
Cheers and Ooroo (as Leigh would say)
Links:
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma information, All about Australia, Space Coast Soccer, Young Eagles Program, Hawthorn Aussie Rules, Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems
From a bio perspective, Leigh was born in Australia and became a naturalized citizen of the USA after joining Rockwell Collins. I always enjoyed Leigh's 'Australianess' and, as a Brit, we shared the same 'off the wall' sense of humor. I gravitated to Leigh, after I joined Rockwell Collins, for many reasons. In short: I enjoyed Leigh's humor, I respected his engineering prowess, I appreciated his high integrity, and his selfless love of wife and family. We also shared a love of soccer and we had fun coaching together for a few years. I've added a few links below as context. I am providing you: a link to inform you of the terrible disease, the Lymphoma, that Leigh fought so valiantly; a link to take you back to Leigh's cultural roots in Australia; a link to the local soccer organization, Space Coast Soccer, that Leigh supported through his tireless coaching and mentoring of our local youth; a link to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Young Eagles program that Wesley and Daniel had joined to experience the unique experience of flying a plane; and a link to Leigh's favorite Aussie Rules football team, The Hawthorns, from Melbourne in his native Australia. It is interesting to note that Leigh changed country but not the name of the town he lived in; he was clever like that - very efficient and convenient! I also included a link to Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems, or TCAS, as they are more popularly known. This is part of the area of aviation safety that Leigh specialized in as a professional, chartered engineer. TCAS has transformed aviation safety and Leigh played a fundamental role in it.
I'll conclude by asking one and all to be as generous as Leigh was in life. I'd like to tell Leigh that I made good on my promise to look in on his family and make sure they are well but that will have to wait. Thanks for reading.
Cheers and Ooroo (as Leigh would say)
Links:
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma information, All about Australia, Space Coast Soccer, Young Eagles Program, Hawthorn Aussie Rules, Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems
Organizer and beneficiary
Eamon Hegerty
Organizer
Melbourne, FL
Debbie Ellery
Beneficiary