By Matt de Simone
Several guests attended a celebration of life for Leon McBryde last Saturday afternoon at Fincastle Baptist Church. The service provided a wonderful look back at the life of McBryde as a clown, Santa Claus, and most importantly, a father.
Leon’s son, Adam, welcomed guests to the service and was followed by words from Leon’s “brother in Claus” Steve Gillham, and then by friends Theresa “Pinky” Garnett & Cilly, and a closing message from Eugenio “Chagy” Ardono.
Adam showed a brief video encapsulating Leon’s impact performing as a clown and as Santa Claus over the years. Following the video, Adam shared a list of what made his father so special to him.
Adam joked that, while performing as a clown (and also as “Dad”), Leon “did all of his own stunts,” some of which were not intentional.
“A common household phrase around our home is: Safety third!” Adam joked. “I don’t know what first and second are because we never thought that far in advance.”
Steve Gillham speaks about his good friend.
He recalled seeing his father nearly knocked out by power tools, falling trees, and nearly drowned. Another rule Adam explained was that whenever a family member “got a boo-boo” they had to show-and-tell.
“No, not so that you receive immediate medical attention – oh, no,” Adam continued. “We had to share so that we all could laugh about it and we did. A lot.”
Adam spoke about Leon’s ability to find humor is bad situations, to be able to talk to anyone, and sharing that Leon always said that “we’re all experts, just at different subjects” – that everyone has value, even if they don’t know it yet.
Leon also taught his son about faith and being a family leader, as Adam explained.
“Sometimes he just thought it was amazing that he was forgiven and saved by the grace of God,” Adam recalled. “And he said to me one time, ‘I guess that’s why they call it amazing grace.’ More than anything – more than entertaining, more than performing, more than putting on a show… was that he wanted for each and every one of you to know that same peace and to experience ‘amazing grace.’ His light that continues to shine today proves that the ‘Greatest Show’ is not on Earth, but in Heaven. Thanks, Dad. I’ll see you down the road.”
Next to speak was “Santa” Steve Gillham, a good friend of Leon’s, who talked about their friendship. Gillham told stories about traveling up from North Carolina to Virginia and spending time with the McBrydes.
Gillham shared a funny story about a kayaking trip that Leon planned for them. Leon was aware of Gillham’s time as a scoutmaster and thought it would be fun for them to go out on a pair of kayaks.
As Gillham explained, there were two kayak s– one for Leon, and a smaller one for Steve.
“Now, I looked at that boat, I thought, well that’s not as big as his,” Gillham said. “He said, ‘Here, I’ll help you out. Get in the river, get on the thing, and I’ll push you out.’”
As soon as Gillham got out in the water, the kayak flipped him into the water.
“The kayak was like being put on a telephone pole,” Gillham said. “Have you every tried to stand on a round telephone pole? It’s impossible. He said, ‘You must’ve not had your balance yet,’… I got back up and he pushed me out… I never balanced so carefully in my life. I got 50-feet away from shore and ‘bloop!’”
Gillham motioned the “flip” into the water once again. He joked that he met every rock during their four-hour float down the river and how “thoughtful” Leon was to follow behind him.
A year or so later, Gillham explained, he saw the same boat he flipped throughout that float. On it was warning label suggestion there should be no riders weighing over 150 pounds.
“At the time I was on that kayak, I was weighting close to 267 pounds,” Gillham laughed.
Gillham spoke of the McBryde’s beautiful tomato plants, which influenced he and his wife to grow some. During one of the Gillham’s trips to Virginia, the McBrydes showed off a plant full of fully grown tomatoes that Steve and his wife couldn’t figure out how to grow them properly. The Gillhams soon discovered that the McBrydes actually went to the grocery store and tied store-bought tomatoes to their plants as a prank on the Gillhams.
“That’s when we knew – between the kayak and the tomatoes – that this family had accepted us,” Gillham said. “I love Leon. He’s the brother I never had. I’m going to miss him so much.”
Lastly, Gillham shared a story about his last visit with Leon. During their conversation, Gillham asked Leon for a favor.
Gillham said to McBryde, “Leon, listen. I’m going to still need your help when you’re dead. He said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Yeah, just because you’re up there doesn’t mean you can’t influence my thoughts, so if I’m working on a story, I need to know that you’re back’… And he smiled.
“I looked at him, and I said, ‘What?’ And (Leon) used what we call the ‘Santa Pause.’ He said, ‘I got it figured: air horn.’”
Gillham and McBryde would use an air horn in their Santa workshops to wake up their students. Steve said that he has one ordered and on the way. He plans to place it on a bookshelf in his office as a reminder that he’ll see his friend again one day, but in the meantime, Gillham joked that he’s going to test it out.
