Obituary of Stephen J. Leahy

Stephen Leahy passed away from the effects of brain cancer on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln.  He was 65 years old.  Stephen was raised in Arlington and from a very early age he had a passion for learning.  He was an avid reader and hardworking student, and always sought perfection in school.  He attended St. Agnes Elementary School, graduated from B.C. High in 1977 and from Harvard College in 1981 with a degree in English and American Literature and Language.  He also earned a Master’s Degree in 1994 from the Fletcher School at Tufts University in International Relations.  He had an incredible memory and was highly recruited as a trivia partner.

Stephen worked with the New England Governors Conference from 1982 to 1996, where he rose to the position of Director, Energy & Environment/ Canadian Program.  While at the Governors Conference, he became involved with issues of joint interest to both New England and the Maritime Provinces of Canada, which led to his long-standing relationship with the New England-Canada Business Council. In 1996, he moved to the Northeast Gas Association, where he spent the balance of his career as Vice President of Policy and Analysis. Stephen greatly enjoyed his professional colleagues throughout his career. 

Stephen was a devout Catholic and a man of faith.  He was a longtime parishioner at St. Agnes Church in Arlington and St. Paul’s Church in Harvard Square, Cambridge. 

He enjoyed going to the theater, concerts and dining with friends.  He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, in particular, his mother, three brothers, their wives and children, his many cousins and surviving uncle and aunts and his many close friends and business colleagues.  Stephen greatly appreciated all of his family, friends and colleagues who were kind enough to visit him during his extended stay at the Hospice House.  Those visits brightened his days.  His brothers sheepishly acknowledge that Stephen was "The Favorite Uncle."

Stephen was the beloved son of Catherine “Kay” (Keohane) and the late William of Arlington. Loving brother of William & his wife Deborah of Falls Church, VA, Robert & his wife Jennifer of Sudbury and David & his wife Jacqueline of Billerica. Proud uncle of Kevin, Denis, Krissy, Michelle and Emily Leahy, Maura Leahy-Martin & her husband Nathan, Susan Vannette & her husband Samuel. Great uncle of Will Martin. Stephen is also survived by many loving cousins and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Agnes Church, 32 Medford St. Arlington on Saturday October 19 at 10am a.m. Interment will follow at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.

The family invites you to join in a celebration of Stephen’s life following the burial, details to be provided at the Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Stephen’s name may be made to the National Brain Tumor Society (click on the link) or go to www.braintumor.org

Arrangements under the direction of the Edward V Sullivan Funeral Home, Burlington.

For obituary, memorial video and online guest book see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net

FAMILY REMEMBRANCE

Good morning everyone and thank you for being here to celebrate Stephen’s life. Today, our mother, almost 99 years old, is sitting with us along with my two brothers, Bill and David, and our families.  Of course, our thoughts are also with our Dad, who passed away 6 years ago.

I want to extend a special acknowledgement to my mother’s sister Mary, who turns 100 years old later this month, her brother Joe, 96 years old, and the baby of the family, Ann, who will be 93 in December. I have been told that my Aunt Marilyn, Joe’s wife, will be 90 on her next birthday. They are all with us in church this morning. Amazing.

Stephen was always the quiet one in our family. He was an excellent student. As far as I know, he was always straight A’s – at St. Agnes, BC High and Harvard. His grades were his ticket. The good work habits and yearning for knowledge he developed at a young age made him a success throughout his life.

Stephen was a passionate reader, and he loved the theater and movies. He knew the classics both in literature and the arts, and he delved into all genres and tastes. He was a wealth of knowledge and handy to have around in a Trivia contest at a local bar.

He was quiet, but he had a talent for engaging with people. When we were young, we would attend family parties at the Edmunds in Waltham on the 4^th of July or the Stanton’s in Arlington on Mother’s Day. At some point, there would be a whirlwind of activity with the kids his age and younger, and Stephen would be leading it. He would be laughing, and they were all having a great time.

He was private. He never made a big deal about his successes at BC High on the debating team, in theatrical events, or his grades. He never made a big deal about his Harvard degree. He rarely spoke about his work or professional accomplishments. Everyone knew he was very smart, but what was he doing with this big brain of his?

I think this is what led some of our cousins to believe that Stephen worked for the CIA. That rumor has always been out there, and I don’t believe that Stephen ever categorically denied it. So, if any of you among Stephen’s many friends and colleagues have information that can settle this once and for all, please let me know.

Stephen could always be counted on. He served as best man for me and for David. He was godfather to my daughter Krissy, Billy’s son Kevin and David’s daughter Michelle. Most importantly, he was the main caregiver for our mom and dad for the last 10 years or so. He visited almost every day during the 3 years Dad was in the nursing home and did the same for Mom, stopping by the house, doing her shopping, driving her to appointments and watching golf and football with her on the weekend. Our parents gave us so much. They stressed the importance of education, accountability, compassion and integrity. Stephen took these lessons to heart.

Our family has been mostly blessed with very long life. Dad, his parents and most of his siblings also lived into their 90’s. But every so often life throws us a curveball. It is a shame that this disease took Stephen just one year after he retired, his prognosis delivered to him one day after his 64th birthday. He persevered through 9 months of treatments. He was so happy when he received a clean bill of health in April that he broadcast the news to his many friends. When the next MRI in June revealed that tumors had returned, he was so disappointed that he had provided false hope to his friends just two months earlier.

I have heard from many friends and co-workers of Stephen who cared very much for him. He stayed in touch with people that mentored him at the Harvard Financial Aid and Admissions Office as a student in 1978, colleagues at The New England Governors’ Conference where he worked in the 80’s and 90’s, and individuals he worked with at the Northeast Gas Conference for 25 years up to his retirement in 2022.

For over 40 years, Stephen was involved with the New England – Canada Business Council, a non-profit promoting cooperation between New England and Canada.

His time with the Council was a labor of love and I can tell you first-hand that the love was reciprocated. I have spoken with multiple people that, like Steve, have been engaged with the Council for years and they love the work, and they love each other. It is wonderful to see. He participated in a weekly Friday Zoom call with the Council. He really looked forward to that call. He would continue to join every Friday even after he entered hospice care in late August.

He also maintained friendships with classmates at BC High and Harvard and his childhood friendships from High Haith Road. Roberta Audunson was one of Stephen’s closest friends and the first person to spot the symptoms of the disease that would take him. She drove him to the emergency room back in June of last year where he was diagnosed, to his treatment appointments, errands and generally kept tabs on him throughout to make sure he was alright. Thank you very much Roberta from all of us.

Stephen kept a low profile, but he had a large impact on his family, his friends and his colleagues. He had a special quality that conveyed trust and calm and maybe a hint of mischief somewhere in there. These last months have been trying, but it has been rewarding to learn how many lives Stephen has touched and the many lasting, valued friendships he has earned throughout his life. We were able to experience this outpouring of love. I feel fortunate for the experience.

I want to thank all the people that reached out to Stephen throughout his illness, and I want to thank especially the family and friends that visited him during his extended hospice stay. Your visits were very important to Stephen and to us as well. It kept a smile on his face and boosted his spirits.

I have received so many phone calls and texts in the last week and the months previous and have heard repeatedly what a special, caring, warm and intelligent person Stephen was. Those words also describe my dad. In these last weeks I have noted the similarities to Dad and so have David and Bill. To say that Stephen was like Dad is the greatest compliment that we can give him.

Stephen was always there for the important events in other people’s lives. Graduations, weddings, funerals. Today we get to mark the achievements of his life. It is more evident than ever that his greatest achievement was bringing happiness and warmth to others.  Today we celebrate his life.