I grew up two doors down from Oakie and his family.  He was one year younger than me, but we spent a lot of time together. My nickname then was Butch.  I remember his older sister Sue, one of the few girls on our street, Whitby Road.  His mom and dad were very welcoming; I spent much more time at Oakie's house than he did at mine.  His dad had a great post-war Ford woody, that he washed every Sunday afternoon. Oakie and I tried to make a string telephone between our houses with cans of either end, but it did not work to well, because of all the trees in the yard between our houses, which was the Buckman's, an older couple.  We left Oakmont in 1950, and I never saw Oakie again.  Glad to hear that he had such a full and mostly happy life.  In those days (late 1940's) it was called Oakmont; now Havertown.  We both went to Oakmont Elementary.  Also remembering Johnny Chatham, Walter Hoffman, Frank Bishop, and Jimmy Dwyer, the other boys on Whitby Road; the Catholic kids went to St Denis.  RIP Leroy AKA Oakie.  Coleman (Butch) Colla