Gary Allen Leinweber

Gary Leinweber Dec. 24, 1955 – Dec. 22, 2012 Resident of Fremont Gary Leinweber, 56, passed away peacefully in his home in Fremont on December 22nd after a long battle with cancer. First and foremost, Gary was a devoted and loving family man to son Johnny and wife Jerelyn, and to parents Jack and La Verne Leinweber of Newark. He is also survived by his loving brother, Ken, nieces Chrystal and Britney Leinweber of Fremont, and sister, LeeAnn (Randy) Plummer, of Nevada. Gary was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to California with his family while in high school. He was a 1974 graduate and Valedictorian of Newark Memorial High School. Gary graduated in 1978 from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in Environmental Science. He was a member of the National Honors Society. After working in local industry, Gary accepted a position with the City of Mountain View Fire Department as a Hazardous Materials Specialist. He treasured his years working with the Mountain View Fire Department and the local community, working his way up to Environmental Safety Manager, and ultimately to Fire Marshal before his retirement in 2006. In 2000 he was awarded the prestigious 'Mountain View Fire Department Commendation Award'. Gary also treasured the time he spent volunteering with his son's Cub Scout dens and Mission San Jose Little League teams. A natural-born teacher, Gary decided to pursue his passion teaching high school mathematics, receiving a teaching credential from California State University, East Bay in 2008. Along the way, he volunteered at Mountain View High School and served an inspirational internship with the Mathematics Department at Logan High School. In Fall 2006 Gary began his teaching career with the Mathematics Department at Irvington High School, where he eventually taught Calculus, Pre-Calculus, Geometry, and Algebra. He relished his teaching experience, working alongside teachers, administrators, staff, and – most of all – his students. One of his favorite sayings was: 'Math is a SKILL, not a gift, so practice-practice-practice!' He particularly enjoyed applying real-world problems to his class assignments whenever appropriate, and he endeavored to make learning less stressful and more fun, while still mastering the material. Gary was honored when he was selected by N.U.M.M.I. as a recipient of its 2009 Most Promising New Teacher Award. An accomplished accordionist and singer, a major highlight of Gary's time with I.H.S. was participating in the 2008 musical, Footloose, performing the role of Reverend Shaw Moore. Remembering this experience always brought a smile to his face, as did memories of playing in a band with his brother Ken in the seventies. With wonderful support from Fremont Kaiser Oncology, Gary fought a long battle against cancer. Although he was a private man, he was thankful for the amazing support he received from family, friends, colleagues, and students. After cremation, burial will take place at a later date at the New Gottland Cemetery in McPherson, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Hayward Kaiser Hospice, 30116 Eigenbrodt Way, Union City, CA 94587.