'He worked far too hard,' says wife Celia
By Cory Ruf, CBC News
Posted: Dec 20, 2012 8:10 AM ET
Last Updated: Dec 20, 2012 8:57 AM ET
Wearing a yellow jacket and a police-issue bicycle helmet, Mirko Kuruc steps softly up to the sales counter at Irving Famous Clothes, a near-century-old men's clothing shop in downtown Hamilton.
This time, the six-year veteran of the Hamilton Police Services hasn't dropped by to get a uniform fitted.
Instead, he's has come to give his condolences to the family of the store's owner, Sid Leon, who died on Tuesday of an apparent heart attack.
The Hamilton-born entrepreneur, a fixture on James Street North, was found on the floor of the shop on Tuesday evening, near the table where he made alterations.
He was 67 years old.
Leon owned Irving's Famous Clothes, one of the oldest businesses in downtown Hamilton. (Cory Ruf/CBC) "He worked far too hard," said Celia Berlin, Leon's wife, struggling to get out the words over the phone. "He just wanted to please everybody, but you can't please everybody all the time."
She last spoke to her husband during a phone call at around 5 p.m that day, but grew worried when he didn't come home when he'd said he would. She called the police after she called the shop repeatedly without anyone picking up.
Officers found the store's door unlocked, lights left on, its owner sprawled out near his sewing desk.
"He was working on a military jacket," Berlin said. "A bright, red, beautiful piece."
Established in 1915, the shop came into Leon's father Irving's possession in the 1940s. Leon apprenticed in the store in the '60s, and then took it over when his father died in the early-'70s.
"He was just a real expert in his craft," said Michael Leon, Sid's son. "He was an artist in what he did. It could be a suit, it could be a shirt, it could be a pair of pants. He just put everything into it."
Not only was Leon passionate about the quality of his work; he was also adamant about developing a personal relationship with his clients.
Rich Leon, Sid's cousin, hems a pair of police officer's slacks at Irving's Famous Clothes on Wednesday. (Cory Ruf/CBC) "He'd make you the star, he'd make you his focus," Michael said. "He was a consummate gentleman and a consummate professional."
It was Leon's human touch that motivated Kuruc to drop in to give his best wishes.
"Sid's been doing a lot of our patch work and a lot of our sewing work for as long as I can remember, "said Kuruc. "He was consistently a very good guy and always had a good sense of humour.
"He was always a pleasure to talk to."
Leon, his son recalled, was a "tireless advocate" for downtown Hamilton and particularly, for James Street North. He had been president of the Jamesville Business Improvement Area, which represented local businesses from the mid-'80s until 1991, when it disbanded.
He stuck it out downtown even during the thoroughfare's most desolate years.
"Giving up wasn't in his vocabulary," Michael asserted.
"His passions are on James Street," said Robert Keleti, who owns Hamilton Jewelers, located near James North and Cannon, and interacted with Leon through the BIA.
"He really cared about James Street, he really cared about the people that he had dealings with.
"He will be deeply missed."
"I knew he got a kick out of seeing the neighbourhood transform," Michael said of his father's take on James Street North's current renaissance.
"It was wonderful seeing the sparkle in his eye when he talked about it."
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