Longtime Herald photographer Jim Leo honored with lights and sirens

EVERETT — Longtime Herald photographer Jim Leo was carried to his burial Tuesday in the back of an antique Everett fire truck.

Firefighters dressed in honor uniforms escorted Leo’s flag-draped coffin from Everett Civic Auditorium to Evergreen Memorial Cemetery. Emergency lights flashed and a siren heralded the procession.

It was a photo Leo, 73, a local icon with a Nikon, would have cher­ished.

Leo died Aug. 13, one day after heart surgery.

“He was clearly a community treasure and he did his job extremely well,” Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson said. “We’ll never forget him.”

About 350 people, including many Everett firefighters and city and county dignitaries, remembered Leo, and his passion for breaking news, at a funeral service at the auditorium.

Firefighters remembered Leo’s presence at local fires. Photographers talked about how they learned the tricks of the trade under his tutelage, in the “school of Jim Leo.” Fellow Silvertips fans shared stories about Leo belting out the national anthem before games, dressed in the latest Tips attire.

And his son talked about how the day before his father died, Leo accepted Jesus Christ as his savior.

“That gave me a great deal of peace,” Jeff Leo said.

Born in the same Everett hospital where he died, Leo spent 47 years working for his hometown newspaper, including 38 years telling stories with his camera.

Leo started working for The Everett Herald as a teenage newspaper carrier in 1950. Two years later, he moved to the newspaper’s mailroom. After graduating from Everett High School in 1954, he began working in the circulation department.

By 1959, he joined the photo staff.

“His childhood dream had come true,” former Herald Publisher Larry Hanson said. Hanson was best man at Leo’s wedding.

Leo spent nearly 40 years with a camera around his neck and a scanner by his side, in his car and next to his bed.

His car was legendary, full of radios and scanners. It was covered with so many antennas it resembled a porcupine, said Fred Walser, a retired Washington State Patrol trooper and longtime friend of Leo’s.

“He had more fun in life than any other person I’ve met,” Walser said.

The collection of cameras, radios and police scanners used during Leo’s career were displayed at the funeral. Many of his best photos also were shown.

“His pictures helped Snohomish County know itself and helped it understand that tragedy and triumph are siblings in a shared place,” said Frank Varga, a former Herald photographer.

Leo was made an honorary Everett firefighter in 1966. He often beat firefighters to the scene and his photos captured the early moments as a fire took hold of a building before bursting into a blaze.

“Jim frequently found the best vantage point and at times was even able to assist the firefighters,” Everett Fire Chief Murray Gordon said. “Jim made sure the photograph not only told the story, but told it with respect and consideration for the victim as well as the fire department.”

After his retirement, Leo continued to photograph fires.

In June, he wore his department-issued fire helmet while he captured photos of the Stewart Title fire in downtown Everett.

Herald reporter and assistant city editor Scott North said Leo was a master at spot news.

“He spent a lifetime doing what he loved,” North said.

Leo is survived by his wife of 45 years, Connie Rae; son, Jeff; and daughter, Lori.

Saying goodbye to his friend, Hanson said he’s confident Leo now has the latest camera gear and will forever be first to the scene.

The man who earned the trust of police and fire agencies often spoke their lingo. Known by his radio number, “33,” Hanson bid farewell to Leo in a language they shared.

“I know your 10-20 (location) is in heaven,” Hanson said.

Varga also remembered Leo by his radio sign.

“The sirens are silent for you now, ‘33,’ and the scanner can be turned off,” Varga said. “But you are unforgettable.”

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.