An obituary

From an email from my wife:

LESKIE J PINSON, 45, of Hypoluxo Island, Lantana, Florida, died July 30, 2005, at his home. He was born January 13, 1960, in Huntington, W.Va., the son of Wallace J Pinson and Sandra Earl Pinson. He was a member of Vinson Memorial Christian Church in Huntington, a lifelong fan of Marshall University sports and "Our Own Cincinnati Reds," and a beautiful pianist. He graduated from Vinson High School in Huntington in 1978, winning the state chess championship twice. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Speech/Broadcasting and his master’s degree in Journalism from Marshall University. He was managing editor of the university newspaper and received the Ernie Salvatore Sports Writer of the Year Award and an AP award for Outstanding Sports Radio Documentary. He was a reporter for WGNT-AM in Huntington, business editor and sports desk editor for The Bluefield Daily Telegraph, freelance writer for The Charlotte Observer, sports writer for The Rock Hill Herald, and lifestyles writer for The Gaston Gazette. He was managing editor of the Weekly World News, for which he traveled to Australia, Toronto and New York to do television interviews. He also performed more than 3,000 radio interviews for the newspaper, and continued to work in radio, advertising and writing, authoring the popular desk calendar "Dads: Funny and True Tales of Fatherhood," after being diagnosed with colon cancer in July 2003. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Ellis and Eloise Smith of Huntington, and Mack and Laura Jude Pinson of Inez, Ky. He is survived by his parents, his wife, Elizabeth Bevins Pinson, a daughter, Cayley Bevins Pinson, a son, Turner Cobb Pinson, his sister Lisa Milstead and her husband Jay, and their children Jayson, Alexandra and Morgan, all of Huntington, a great-uncle, Charles Smith of Vero Beach, Fla., and members of his wife’s family including his father-in-law, Earl Bevins of Huntington. A man who couldn’t drive past a lost dog without picking it up to find its home, Leskie will be missed by his own rescued pets, Lucas, Chelsea and Joe Morgan. The love and support of his family and friends helped Leskie fight his disease with incredible strength and absolute, unwavering optimism. Remembrances will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7, at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Boynton Beach, Fla., and from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, at the home of his sister in Huntington. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Joseph’s Episcopal School (3300B S. Seacrest Blvd., Boynton Beach, FL 33435), whose children brought Leskie great joy and inspiration.

The Mystery of the Haunted Vampire offers our sincere condolences to Pinson's family. The Weekly World News, with its stories of Batboy, Bigfoot and aliens visiting the White House, is a publication I often enjoy reading while in the grocery store checkout line. I've even been known to purchase a copy now and then. From his obit, Pinson sounds like a good man who brought much joy to his family and to the lives of others. I know he did mine.