Julio Enrique Leon

Julio Enrique Leon passed away on July 6th 2022 in New York City, where he and Ellen, his wife of 38 years, had lived for the last year. He was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1983, where he met his wife.

Julio grew up in a working class Bogota neighborhood and left school early, but was always passionate about learning and books, and he became self-taught. He also had a love for the arts, and began studying classical ballet in Bogota, eventually becoming a lead dancer in a major dance company, as well as a ballet teacher. He also danced in a folkloric dance company. When he moved to the United States, despite his lack of much formal education in Colombia, he was able to earn a college degree and a Masters in Education. He became a Spanish teacher, and taught for over 30 years for both public and private schools in a variety of Bay Area communities, and during the past year in New York City.
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Julio was a passionate and enthusiastic teacher. He cared deeply about his students, and had a profound impact on many lives. All of his students loved and remembered him, and he brought joy to the schools, whether it was in the classroom, schoolyard, or simply walking down the hallway. He was also very passionate about soccer, and coached for many years in leagues and schools he taught at. He imparted his love for the game to his players, who felt lucky to have him as a coach.

Julio always embraced his passion for the arts, especially in dance and music. He co-produced a documentary film about the origin of traditional Colombian music, cumbia, called "Cumbia: Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto", which screened in a number of film festivals in Colombia and the United States. He had a huge collection of CDs, tapes and records of music from all over the world. Music was a big part of his life, and he loved to share it with the people around him. He also maintained his passion for ballet his entire life, and a few months ago enrolled in classes at the Joffrey Ballet School. He was proud that at his age he had not forgotten his classical training.

Julio was kind, loving, caring, happy, energetic, funny, and brought so much joy to the people around him - friends, family, and even complete strangers. He made friends everywhere he went and had a gift for making people feel comfortable, seen, and appreciated. He had a curious mind, a spirit of adventure, and loved to travel and explore new places. He had traveled around the U.S., Europe, Colombia, and most recently took a cross-country road trip from San Francisco to New York.

Julio was the essence of a caring and loving father, and grandfather, to his three sons and granddaughter. They would spend hours playing cards, barbecuing, exploring cities, visiting parks, playing music, and telling jokes. Nothing made him happier than spending time with his family.

Whenever we think of Julio, a huge smile appears. Even with the pain of his passing, there are so many memories of his unique, loving, and infectious spirit. Julio lived life to the fullest, with passion, energy, joy, humor, kindness and love. He was a force of nature for all who had the good fortune to connect with him.

Julio leaves behind his wife Ellen, his sons Juan Ricardo, Daniel, and David, and his granddaughter Aleja.

Julio loved spending time in Central Park, and he walked, biked, and explored the park almost daily. Contributions can be made to the Central Park Conservancy Adopt-A-Bench program, to provide funding to maintain a bench and the surrounding landscape, in Julio's name.

Central Park Conservancy Adopt-A-Bench Program