2019 -- S 0034

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LC000606

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF JOHN THOMAS LEYDEN

     

     Introduced By: Senators Raptakis, and Morgan

     Date Introduced: January 16, 2019

     Referred To: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar

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     WHEREAS, John Thomas Leyden, known by his many friends as "Big John", passed

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away on December 23, 2018, surrounded by his loved ones. He was the beloved husband of

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Arlene Leyden for sixty-two years; and

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     WHEREAS, Mr. Leyden was born in East Greenwich, a son of the late Matthew and

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Mary Leyden. He served our nation with honor and distinction in Korea where he earned the rank

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of Sergeant in the United States Army. John always prioritized God, Family and Country first in

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his life; and

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     WHEREAS, After completing his military service, Mr. Leyden took advantage of the GI

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Bill and attended the University of Rhode Island, where he met the love of his life, Arlene. After

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graduation, he went on to teach Agricultural Education and the FFA (Future Farmers of America)

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at Scituate Junior and Senior High School. He taught for thirty years, developed a number of

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award-winning programs, and made a difference in the lives of so many youngsters as an

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educator, coach, and mentor. He was a very popular and highly respected teacher who was fondly

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known as "Chief" by all of his students and colleagues. He received the Rhode Island Teacher of

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the Year award in 1975; and

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     WHEREAS, Mr. Leyden and his wife purchased 100 acres of land in West Greenwich

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and started Big John Leyden's Christmas Tree Farm in 1974. Thanks to his natural exuberance

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and charismatic personality, his tree farm became a beloved institution in the State of Rhode

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Island, and on the national stage where he became a national spokesman for real trees and

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regularly appeared on the CBS Early Show for eighteen years. John's opening lines of "Welcome,

 

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Welcome, Welcome", and "Real Trees for Real People" became famous catch phrases both in

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Rhode Island and across the nation; and

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     WHEREAS, Mr. Leyden was selected to be a member of the East Greenwich Athletic

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Hall of Fame in 1996 and the East Greenwich Wall of Fame in 2009. He and his wife were avid

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golfers and members of the Golf Harbor Golf Club in Fort Myers, Florida; and

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     WHEREAS, In addition to his wife, Arlene, Mr. Leyden leaves two sons, Matthew W.

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Leyden and his wife, Mary, and J. Timothy Leyden and his wife, Barbara. He also leaves behind

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two sisters, Margaret Lundberg and Joan Bezak, five grandchildren, Matthew J. Leyden, Erin

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Leyden-Healey and her husband, John, Meghan Andrikos and her husband, Dean, Sean Charles

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Leyden and Dylan Thomas Leyden, and two great-grandsons, Owen and Jack. He was preceded

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in death by his siblings, Russell Leyden, Cathleen "Pieraccini" Erba, and Robert Leyden; now,

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therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

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hereby expresses its condolences to the Leyden Family on the passing of John Thomas Leyden;

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and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mrs. Arlene Leyden and Family.

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LC000606

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