Leonard Anthony DeFusco, Jr. passed away peacefully at his home in Mesa, AZ in mid-June 2018. He was born in March 1961 in Washington, DC to Filomena D’Elia and Dr. Leonard DeFusco.
Len was a hard worker when it came to his professional career. He was an experienced handyman and jack of all trades. He was proud to manage building maintenance teams at Arizona Country Club and Mark Taylor Apartments, among his various other jobs.
In his free time, Len loved to fish, hunt, read, and work out. He loved dogs and the New York Yankees. He made many friendships over the years, however, he would probably say that the best thing he ever did was father his children: Ryan Coast, Teresa Banas, and Leonard DeFusco III. He loved deeply and often and wasn’t afraid to show it.
Len is survived by his parents; siblings, Mark DeFusco, Laura Couty, Andy DeFusco, and Deanna Walker; children; grandchildren, Sofia Loree Banas and Raymond Anthony Banas; and a multitude of extended family and friends. His light will be truly missed.
Donations in memory of Len DeFusco, Jr. can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital under his name or at http://giftfunds.stjude.org/ldefusco.
Will miss you forever Len❤️
Dad….will always think of you when fishing or handling a tool. But most of all as I watch my children grow especially my son who carries on your name.
Love you
Tsa
Fly free Len, you are loved dearly…
Thanks Lenny for being such a wonderful brother -in -law to me and a very special Uncle to my son Anthony. I will miss your laugh……Love to you always, Denise
Hello Number One Son. We will love you forever. You have made us very proud of your life and how you have affected all of us. Be at peace with Jesus and your whole family in Heaven. See you again one day. Love, Mom and Dad.
To Lenny’s parents, siblings,extended family and friends, so sorry you lost your beloved Lenny too soon. We pray that he is, at long last at peace.
I will love you always, big brother. You can rest in your Heavenly Father’s good grace and love now forever.
Dear cousin Lennie, You are in our thoughts and prayers. Also your entire family is in our thoughts and prayers as well. When I heard of Lens passing, one of the first things I thought about was when we came to visit, the paper route in Connecticut and how we stuffed the papers in the back of our station wagon to help
you and your siblings deliver them. You are free now from pain and fear. As you are in heaven with the rest of the Ricciotti family that has gone before us, send your love and prayers down to us! Love you forever! Cousins, Mike & Terry
Rest In Peace Lenny! Throughout your illness I have thought back to our childhood and the times you came to visit us in RI! I remember Mark, Andy, you, and I having slumber parties in my room! I remember you and Mark teaching Andy and I how to play poker! I remember we would leave my tape recorder on record and listen later to all the craziness!!! The Cheech and Chong and George Carlin routines we would recite while we played!!!
My lasting memory of you will be when we used to go to the playground near your Grandpa Jake’s house and you used to swing as high as you could and be as high as the bar and jump off the swing at it’s highest point!
Good times!!!!
You will be missed but never forgotten!!!
My love and prayers to the D’Elia/DeFusco family and all of the Ricciotti family as we grieve but love and remember our dear cousin Lenny! Death has taken your body but can never take away your spirit!!!
Thank you for all of the good times we have shared and the memories we will cherish forever. You are a true friend and you brought so much happiness to us and our kids. We will miss you and you will be in our hearts forever…until we meet again. Love Chuck, Cheri and the Kids
Please accept our deepest condolences for the loss of Leonard. We pray that our loving Heavenly Father (Psalm 83:18) grants you peace during this difficult time.
To Len’s parents, siblings, and children:
My heart breaks for all of you and your incredible loss. Know that our family prays often for your peace. May it bring comfort for you to know that Len is where he was made to be.
With Sympathy,
Lucy
We are friends of Bud and Fil at Villa Monterey and have followed Len’s journey for the last year. We have been deeply moved by Len’s struggle and your remarkable family’s response. All our love and prayers to you.
I will miss your laugh, your selflessly given love, I’ll miss your singing happy birthday to me on the phone every year, I will miss being able to ask your expertise on a home problem or receive your encouragement on some thing that is stressing or worrying me. I’ll miss a million little things. I think about how I gained a whole new set of brothers and sisters when our parents married, and having 11 brothers and sisters instead of six, has been a gift every day. I know you’re resting easy now, but I’ll miss you deeply my brother.
Love ya my brother from another mother! Haha! I will miss all the clesheas, the sarcasm, the oneliners, the dirty humour, colorful adjectives, and you it while maintaing love and respect for everybody! Thats what I admired the most! I could always be myself with you anytime anyplace! Along the way you help with a few repairs here and there;plus left us with many helpful hints and tidbits that a simple diyer could understand! Enough said about fixing crap! Take your pain free spirit and go put the fear in every tom Turkey for you Lenny everyday is open season! The lakes will always be full of all the fish of your dreams so cast away Lennyand set your on your big fish story(for I caught two bass bigger than yours hehe), so when our time comes to be together again I we be glad to listen to evryoneof your stories! Ps I’ll bring the bourbon because when comes fishing, story telling, one bottle wont be enough! Enjoy my brother, miss you love you!! Bobby
Love ya my brother from another mother! Haha! I will miss all the clesheas, the sarcasm, the oneliners, the dirty humour, colorful adjectives, and you it while maintaing love and respect for everybody! Thats what I admired the most! I could always be myself with you anytime anyplace! Along the way you help with a few repairs here and there;plus left us with many helpful hints and tidbits that a simple diyer could understand! Enough said about fixing crap! Take your pain free spirit and go put the fear in every tom Turkey for you Lenny everyday is open season! The lakes will always be full of all the fish of your dreams so cast away Lenny and set your on your big fish story(for I caught two bass bigger than yours hehe), so when our time comes to be together again I we be glad to listen to evryone of your stories! Ps I’ll bring the bourbon because when comes fishing, story telling, one bottle wont be enough! Enjoy my Lenny miss you love you!! Bobby
I am so saddened to learn of Lenny’s passing. My condolences to his parents, siblings and children. I just know he was met at the Gates by Grandma Irene as she so adored her grandchildren. Rest in eternal peace Len.
It’s taken me three years to gain the courage to post here. Just last night, I was telling some friends about you, Len, when the husband gave me a book he had written, called “A Life Undone: A Father’s Journey though Loss.” On the inside cover, he had just written “Andy: Sometimes life sucks, but the love endures. Remember Lenny and Erica.” Turns out, he had lost his only child, a young woman named Erica, in a car accident in Scottsdale back in 2001, when she was just eighteen years old. We talked about loss, the difficulties of losing a sibling vs. an only child, and came to one conclusion: Those we have loved, but who have passed, have made our lives better and have prepared us better for the years ahead. I miss you so much, Lenny, but I know how much more clarity, wisdom and happiness I have in my life today because of what you taught me. And when I start to cry over you, I picture you, always bigger and stronger than me, putting your foot in my backside and saying “Don’t cry over me. Go live your life!”
As our Dad just told me two weeks ago, I’ll tell you as well: Thank you for being you, Bro. I’ll carry your spirit in me, as will Jake and Riley, for as long as we’re alive in this world.
Love, Andy