By MIKE O'HARA
FOX Sports Detroit
March 8, 2011
HOLLAND, Mich. - If Wes Leonard didn't achieve perfection in his short life, he came close enough for him and others who share his attributes to stand as models for what America hopes its youth can become.
One who died so young - Leonard was 16 when he died Thursday night from cardiac arrest - has left a deep and lasting imprint on those who knew him personally, and others made aware of his rare qualities.
A fitting mix of humor, tears, thoughtful recollections and heart-rending tributes flowed forth Tuesday during a 90-minute funeral service at Christ Memorial Reformed Church.
'When we leave here, I know we will not forget Wes,'Rev. Gary Peterson said in closing. 'Remember what he stood for.�
Leonard's death has touched heartstrings around the country, for how a storybook ending to a high school basketball game turned swiftly into an unspeakable tragedy.
Leonard hit the game-winning shot in overtime Thursday night to give Fennville High School a 57-55 victory over rival Bridgman, completing a perfect 20-0 regular season.
Fennville's players and fans celebrated as the final buzzer sounded. At one point, Leonard was hoisted into the air by his teammates.
But the mood changed quickly - from the highest high to the lowest low - when Leonard slumped to the court.
He was treated immediately by emergency medical technicians and taken to Holland Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:40 p.m., some two hours after his game-winning basket.
In the five days since his death, the picture painted of Wes Leonard has generated universal heartbreak because of what he could have become.
You may not have met Wes Leonard, but you knew him. You really did.
He was the kind of kid who delivered your paper - and always tucked it inside the door, on time. He shoveled snow to make spending money but always did the lady's porch next door for free.
He teased your kid sister about her braces and straightened her handlebars without being asked.
He was a dominant player on the basketball court and football field for Fennville High, with a reputation spreading beyond the limits of the small town (population about 1,500) in southwest Michigan. He was becoming a star. Just ask his teammates. You never heard it from Wes.
The Leonard family - parents Gary and Jocelyn, Wes and younger brother Mitchell - were members of the Fennville Methodist Church, where Peterson is pastor.
The funeral was moved to Christ Memorial when it became obvious the attention Leonard's death had attracted required a larger venue.
Fennville Methodist has room for about 250 people, Pastor Peterson said. Christ Memorial holds about 1,500, and it was at capacity Tuesday.
Students at other schools in southwest Michigan attended the funeral. A bus transported about 70 students from the Bloomingdale and Nobles districts to the funeral.
Many mourners wore orange ribbons. Fennville's school colors are orange with black piping.
Fennville played a first-round game Monday night in the Class C division of Michigan's state basketball tournament. The game was moved to the DeVos Fieldhouse on Hope College's campus in Holland.
A sellout crowd of 3,472 saw Fennville beat Lawrence 65-54.
Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo drove over from East Lansing to address the Fennville and Lawrence teams at a pregame meal. Bo Kimble, a teammate of the late Hank Gathers - who died on the court during a 1990 Loyola Marymount game - drove in from Philadelphia to offer support.
At the funeral Tuesday, a video presentation shown on a big screen above the altar showed images of Wes Leonard with family, friends and teammates.
They ranged from him shooting a free throw for Fennville - ball cocked just above forehead level, rising on his toes in perfect from - to a youngster cuddling a puppy in the crook of his arm, to shots of family outings on beaches.
People were invited to share stories, and many brought rousing laughs as they revealed Leonard's good nature as a prankster and jokester.
Most poignant was a story told by Jim Leonard, Wes's uncle, about Jocelyn's reaction when Wes was born.
Jim Leonard joked that Wes had a large head, and he related Jocelyn's response when asked about the delivery.
'She said it sure hurt like hell, but it was totally worth it,' Leonard said, to laughter from the mourners.
'We will miss Wes. It hurts. But it was totally worth it.'
