Richard I Leben 's Obituary
The Honorable Richard I Leben of Tamarac, passed away on May 4, 2016, at the age of 90. Judge Leben was a wonderful, loving, caring “always there for you” father, husband, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and friend. He is deeply loved and cherished by all who knew him.
Judge Leben was instrumental in the development of Hollywood’s legal community in the 1960’s having one of the first law practices in Hollywood, on Hollywood Boulevard for 30 years, and being one of the first Municipal Court judges for the city. He was a proud and respected member of the Florida Bar for over 50 years and made the front page headlines for the Hollywood Sun Tattler when he was the first judge to conduct a trial in Spanish, at the start of the influx of Cuban immigrants in the early 1960’s.
Richard was as proud of his legal status as he was of his military contributions to this country, having served in the Coast Guard in WW II, and continuing to serve as an officer throughout his legal career. He loved to wear his officer’s uniform on military observance days, and loved telling stories of his service to friends, family and even strangers who approached him.
Richard is survived by his wife, Mary, his sister Joy, his son Robert and wife Charlene, and daughters Shelley and Susan; his grandchildren, Kevin, Erin, Michael, Julie, and great grandchild Lucy. He is also survived by Mary’s daughter Linda, and her daughter Jennifer (who Richard always considered his granddaughter), her husband Zoltan, and her children Gabrielle and Katherine (also Richard’s “great grandchildren”).
Funeral services to be held on Monday, May 9th, at Levitt-Weinstein Memorial Chapel; 8135 W. McNab Rd, Tamarac, FL 33321; (954) 721-2500, at 11:00 am
No flowers please; Donations in Richard’s name can made to
veteransinneedfoundation.org
militaryheroessupportfoundation.org
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