Earlier this month, Massapequa Park mourned the passing of one of its most active and involved community members.
Robert M. Leff, an attorney and active participant in local government and business, passed away on Dec. 10 at the age of 78 after a year-and-a-half bout with congestive heart and kidney failure. Leff was many things—a long-standing 40-year area resident; Massapequa Park Village Attorney for 26 years; an active local business leader; but to his wife, Carol, he was the father of her children and the love of her life for the entirety of their 55 years together.
The two met at a Brooklyn college fraternity party, and according to Carol, had been going strong ever since; she and Robert eventually married and moved to Massapequa from Brooklyn in 1970.
“At that time, Bob was still working as a lawyer in the city, and we were trying to find which village had the best railroad service—we almost landed in Dix Hills, but in those years they didn’t even have an electrified train,” she said. “Then we heard about Massapequa Park and the Babylon train line, and when we saw the area, we just loved it. We built a very large, beautiful house in the Bar Harbour area and were very happy.”
Leff eventually founded his own law firm located on Park Boulevard in Massapequa Park—Leff and Leff, LLP—and also lent his services to various local civic organizations, including the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce, whose attorney he served as for two years.
“He was a man that loved his work and he was passionate about the law,” said Carol. “He said that he would never retire because he enjoyed it so much. He enjoyed working and helping people, and he continued to work until he was so sick that he just couldn’t work anymore,” continued Carol who added that their son, Richard has taken over the practice.
Carol herself has had a busy career as well, working for many years as a legal administrator alongside her husband until eventually branching out on her own and staring a Medicaid consulting practice.
Richard, who now runs the day-to-day business of the family law firm, said that among the many lessons that his father had imparted upon him over the years, the one that has stuck with him the most is the importance of family.
“The one thing about my father is that he devoted his life to his family; as a husband, a father and a grandfather. That’s an example that I will work hard to follow for the rest of my life—to be a better husband, father, and one day, a grandfather,” he said. “As for the law firm, I’ve already been working there for a number of years, so we’re going to carry on as if he was still here. We’re going to provide the same quality of service as he did.”
In addition to starting and running a successful law firm in his adopted hometown, Leff also had the distinction of serving Massapequa Park as its village attorney for 26 years. He was first approached by the village in 1975, and after being appointed to the position, faithfully served the legal doings of the municipality until 2001, working side-by-side with the administrations of three different mayors—Robert Thompson, George Nussbaum and Camillo Giannattasio. It was a duty that Carol said her husband passionately undertook at a mere fraction of his normal pay rate.
“He didn’t get paid very much but he was very pleased to serve, and they kept appointing him because he did such an excellent job,” she said. “He negotiated contracts, and wrote so many laws and ordinances for the village. He was a very fair-minded person, and he tried to do what was best for the community at all times because he loved Massapequa Park so much.”
Leff was an outspoken champion of safety in the area during his time as village attorney and he often fought for proper road signage and traffic lights to ensure the risk to both pedestrians and motorists were kept to a minimum. Among Leff’s many contributions in this regard includes the traffic light positioned on Merrick Road in front of Massapequa High School, which Carol said is affectionately known as “Leff’s Light.”
While most of the administration that Leff had served under as village attorney is no longer around, village administrator and clerk Peggy Caltabiano was happy to share her fond recollections of Leff towards the end of his tenure.
“Mr. Leff was quite well-respected here in the village,” said Caltabiano. “I’ll always remember him as a kind person, and whenever I called upon him he was available. I always found him to be a caring person and he had a great sense of humor.”
If there was one thing Carol Leff said that she would like her husband remembered for, it would be for his dedication; both to his family and the Massapequa Park community that he was proud to consider himself a member of for more than 40 years.
“He was a person that everyone loved, and his reputation was second to none,” said Carol. “He was really a pillar of the community, and he lived to serve. More than 100 people attended his funeral service, and over one hundred people came to the house when I sat Shiva. I never expected so many people. He would have been so happy and proud to see the tribute that the community paid to him.”
