Leach eulogized at his beloved Waterloo

Byram - Waterloo Village founder Percival H. E. Leach died just months after the possible death of his dream, but the bright promise of the morning of his funeral brought optimism to the hearts of those saddened by his passing. Leach died at age 80 at Hackettstown Regional Medical Center on Monday, Feb. 26, of complications from diabetes. Born in Boonton, he was a medical corpsman in the Navy during World War II and moved to Stanhope right after the war. A graduate of the Whitman School of Architecture and Design in New York City, Leach discovered Waterloo in the late 1940s when it was scheduled for demolition to make way for a housing development. The success of his design business, Colony House Interiors in Mendham, which he formed with the late Louis Gualandi, enabled the two to save Waterloo and turn it into a destination for history tourism. They bought most of the buildings in the village and formed the Waterloo Foundation for the Arts to administer it. Financial problems forced the state to buy the property and the foundation became a tenant and manager. His funeral was held Saturday, March 3, at the Waterloo United Methodist Church on the grounds of his great passion. Mourners walked past a bagpiper as they entered the tiny church. A cellist continued the dirge from the choir loft. The church was more than full. Hymnals were shared; the guests began with a traditional hymn, “God of Grace and God of Glory.” The service was shared by the current pastor, the Rev. David L. Jones, and his predecessor, the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Radillo. In her homily, Radillo noted she is basically an urban person and when her bishop assigned her to Waterloo in 1986 she thought she was in the middle of nowhere. “But I clicked with Percy right away. There was a wonderful, sparkling light in his eyes. He had a vision and was very clear about that vision.” She noted Percy asked her three weeks before his death to lead the service: “I want you to do my eulogy, but I want you to do a good job.” Addressing his family, filling the first rows of the church, she said: “He was very close to his family and he established an extended family here.” Noting his passion for both music and history, Radillo recalled the classical concerts he brought to Waterloo Village as well as the children coming for class trips. “Mediocrity was not is his vocabulary or his life,” she said. Acknowledging the village’s existence is at risk, Radillo said “We need beauty. Prayer can change things ... this place speaks loudly to the needs of human beings.” The minister invited people to speak about Leach, noting there will be a memorial service sometime in May that will offer more opportunity for his friends and colleagues to remember him. John Mesaris, who worked for Leach for 18 years, recalled a trip to South America during which they met both Fidel Castro and Placido Domingo. “He was a mentor to me, Mesaris said, “a good friend, a father to me. What a gentleman.” Leach’s sense of humor was also noted. Maurice Fitzgibbons recalled driving Leach to the barber in Netcong one day. “He said,” Fitzgibbon recalled, ‘The barber’s a Republican, don’t tell him you’re from Hudson County.’” Then as soon as he was in the chair, Leach called out: “Say hello to Maurice Fitzgibbons, he’s a Hudson County Freeholder. You know, they’re all crooks down there. He’s a friend of Bob Menendez.” Fitzgibbon recalled he told the barber his mother is Italian, so everything was all right. “This place will live on,” Fitzgibbon said, echoing the comments of others. Other friends recalled both late night and early morning telephone calls and wondered when he slept, as well as about his eclectic tastes, which ran from “caviar and smoked salmon to Hershey bars and popsicles.” Reached by telephone, others remembered Leach in their own way. “He was an asset to Waterloo Village, the community and the state,” said Byram Township Mayor Eskil Danielson. Danielson was police chief during the village’s heyday. “The concerts he presented combined with a chance to visit the historical village was not paralleled anywhere else in the state,” he noted. “Percy was a very interesting person,” the mayor continued. “He always had a surprise. He called me one day and asked the police department for extra security because Princess Grace of Monaco was visiting that afternoon. He was known for his short notice. He will be missed,” he added. “I hope there is a tribute or memorial by the township at the village.” Andrew Drysdale, who served in a number of curatorial positions at the village in the early 1990s and was also the blacksmith, pointed out, “Without Percy and Lou’s hard work, Waterloo Village would be an historical memory under Interstate-80.” Dave Jones summed up many people’s feelings about Leach after the service: “Percy was bigger than life, with a tenacious understanding of the importance of beauty and grace in the lives of every human being.” With the closure of the village late last year by the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Parks and Forestry, there is some concern the village may be a memory, but it was not evident at the funeral. The warm sunshine left just enough snow for two of his grand-nephews to start a snowball fight. Adults began to intervene when a voice from the church stairs was heard to say, “Percy would approve.” Leach is survived by his sister, Doris Buzby of Montclair, a nephew and niece, a grandniece and three grandnephews.