Ethan Oliver Leapley

Ethan Oliver Leapley, 6, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on the evening of Monday, February 9th, 2026. Ethan was born on March 20th, 2019 to Christopher and Pamela Leapley in Hollywood, California and is survived by his beloved sister, Coral McNeal. He attended Valley Montessori Academy from the age of 2 until First grade.

Ethan was a fighter from the start; he was born with a heart condition that required open heart surgery a week after birth. Six years later he faced an inoperable brain stem tumor with tremendous strength and equanimity.

Ethan loved music and never missed the chance to dance around at the opening music of his favorite shows and movies. He loved to spin and get dizzy, and enjoyed tumbling around with his pup, Boogie. He had a sweet shy smile that always made everything better. He was an early riser and enjoyed his morning hot cocoa and video game time with Dad, and then snuggling in with Mom at night to read another chapter of their story. When Coral was home from college, he could often be heard softly calling her name repeatedly until she joined him to greet the day.

He genuinely loved sharing new experiences with people, introducing them to movies, games, or songs that he enjoyed. He was imaginative and creative and found joy inventing challenges, working on projects, creating concoctions, and playing games, many of them far above his earthly age. He could remember anything you told him once. He engaged his grandparents as an equal in chess and was often a formidable video game opponent.

Ethan was incredibly smart and began reading when he was very young. He was a student at Valley Montessori Academy where his curiosity and zest for learning were encouraged and supported. Ethan could often be found introducing himself to other students and racing to be the first to the blue ball for playground play. As he grew older, he loved legos and math, completing pages and pages of math skill sets at Mathnasium. He liked writing lists because he didn't want anything to be forgotten, and he liked picking up leaves and flowers and had always wanted to plant a tree.

Ethan was openly honest [candid], which offered some challenging and humorous moments when you were nearby. He didn't like quick changes very much, but if he knew what the plan was, he rolled with it without complaint. Since his diagnosis in September, he showed incredible courage and even sacrifice as his abilities were stolen from him bit by bit. He expressed his love repeatedly and always looked forward to spending time with family.

On February 9, 2025, Ethan Oliver Leapley transitioned from this life. His time with us ended, but the love he brought remains. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered. We are forever changed by his birth and life.

Visitation for family and friends will be from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Sunday, February 22, 2025 at Greenlawn Funeral Homes - Southwest, 2739 Panama Lane, Bakersfield, CA 93313. Funeral services and burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, February 23, 2025 at Greenlawn Funeral Homes - Southwest in the main chapel. A celebration of life will follow in the reception hall on site.