(A message by Ron Ewald, Len's partner, to their associates)
We are the legacy of The BrickKicker
Team BrickKicker :
Today, February 23, 2000 Leonard
Franckowiak, the father and founder of our company passed away.
As his family stood beside him, the
brilliant light of his life flickered toward an ever-peaceful rest. We must reach out in thought and prayer to his
dear wife Jean, daughters Cindy and Gretchen, brothers, sister and all of his treasured
family and friends. We offer them our
heartfelt condolences, spiritual support and caring assistance.
Naturally, our emotions include
sadness, grief and heartache. It never seems
fair when a loved and favored one is taken so quickly from us. We find ourselves longing for one more visit, one
last handshake or one final bit of wisdom. And
it hurts to think that now, we must rely on our memories … oh, but what memories we
have.
We remember his fatherly nature
… always there to listen and willing to offer a focused reflection or response …
always prepared to teach while including common, hands-on examples and experiences …
and always extending himself in his warm, inclusive and folksy style that reached out with
an open heart void of pretense or judgement.
We remember his quips and phrases
that would spark the room with light-hearted energy.
Ah yes, we remember … we remember that smile … you know, the one
that always accompanied the handshake pulling you close enough to notice that little
sparkle in his eye as he would say … “How ya doin’ kid ?”
These are the memories we must hold
and treasure, because The BrickKicker now takes on a bit of a different image in our
hearts doesn’t it ? The word legacy
comes to mind. And as he would sometimes do
… I went to the dictionary and looked up the definition of the word LEGACY … and
it read “Something handed down from an ancestor or predecessor, or from the
past”. In that sense then … we,
The BrickKicker, have now become the legacy of he, The BrickKicker.
In closing for now, I’ll leave
you with an excerpt from an article written in 1982 by a scholar of The Constitution and
the rights of Freedom and Liberty. It is
written in first person verse:
“I know not whether I am heaven
sent or earthly bound. I only know I am
pleased to be in the hearts of men. If I am
the source of happiness, inspiration and strength, then I give thanks to The Lord. If I have blessings to give, then I bring them to
you as His messenger. For I, Liberty, am just
a spirit; but as a spirit giveth life in America, I beg you, let me once again ride the
high crest of our mutual love and admiration. As
you feel me in your hearts. Please also know me in your minds and remember me in your
actions. Together we can build a better
world.”
Leonard Franckowiak
May “The Bird Within” be always in your hearts,
Ron