A Prayer for Len E Carmella

Dear friends.

It is with great sadness that I share the news that our good friend Len E. Carmella passed away on August 18, 2018. Lenny was just 64. I have pasted below a brief obit and details of his celebration of life.

Leonard Eugene Carmella, 64, of Zellwood, Florida, passed away August 18, 2018. He was born July 29, 1954 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Mr. Carmella is preceded in death by his sister Christine Puskas. He is survived by his loving wife Karen Sue Carmella; son L. Eoghan (Natasha) Carmella of Wales; sister Lenna C. Lipman and several nieces and nephews.

Celebration of Life

Kat’s Vine & Tap

1061 W. Orange Blossom Trail

Apopka, Fl 32712

(In Victoria’s Plaza)

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Starting at 6:30PM/Music & Art Show at 7:30

After a string of deadlines and a little personal time off I went back to my computer to discover this message from a colleague from my university days at The Loyola News.  We were a crew of many differences and no shrinking violets, which is what I guess you'd expect from a bunch of opinionated young journalists.  Anyhow, we became incredibly close despite our differences and to this day the vast majority of us are involved in communications and media.

This October is when I learned of Len E's passing and it was truly sad.  Len was our cartoonist and had an acerbic wit.  Being the Entertainment Editor, I had a keen interest in Len E's talent and his ability to communicate ideas and humour through images.  We became fast friends.

The only way I could make sense of his sudden death was to summon one of my favourite memories of Len, whose visual art practice also included fashion illustration and painting.  My favourite memory is of me modelling for Len E in his apartment in Montreal on a Wednesday afternoon.  I was wearing a midnight blue satin negligee–very vintage.  I think there was a Vermouth martini in the picture somewhere.

Anyhow, our creative adventure was interrupted by a knock on the door.  It turns out it was the landlord come to collect the rent.  Len invites him into the apartment and goes to get the payment.  I felt a little silly but any discomfort I might have felt was overcome by my surprise when I recognized the landlord.  It was Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who was famous even back in the seventies for his advocacy of pro-choice. (Today there are five clinics across Canada.) He had been in the news after his first clinic was targeted by pro-life protesters. Morgentaler was a frequent subject of death threats but he had withstood internment in Dachau and he wasn't going to give in.   

So, all of sudden the afternoon with Len had gone from satin and martinis to religious opinions and firebombs.  It made for a charged conversation.  I will miss the ever colourful Len E Carmella.