Local businessman, community leader and former Del. Leon Albin (D-11th) passed away on Monday, Oct. 28. The longtime Pikesville resident was 98.
A Baltimore native, Albin was born to Romanian-Jewish immigrants David and Cecelia Albin. He grew up above a second-hand Army Navy clothing store on Pennsylvania Avenue operated by his father. Albin liked to say that as a youngster, he learned to adapt “to a way of life with struggling and no complaints.”
A graduate of Baltimore City College and the University of Baltimore, Albin was the first member of his family to earn a college degree. He met his future wife, Beverly Shear, when he was 19 and she was 17. They were married for 69 years until Beverly Albin passed away in September of 2017.
During World War II, Albin served in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1945, and later belonged to the Jewish War Veterans of Maryland.
As a young businessman, Albin took over his father’s shop and transformed it into a chain of 17 sporting goods stores called Lee’s Surplus, Lee’s Outdoors and later Lee’s Sports, becoming the largest sporting goods operation in the state.
After selling the business in 1986, Albin ran for office and was elected to the Maryland General Assembly. He served in the House of Delegates for eight years. He served on the House Economic Matters Committee and the Special House Committee on Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
Previously, Albin served on the Baltimore County Board of Liquor License Commissioners and the Democratic State Central Committee.
After his career in politics, Albin became a licensed realtor, specializing in the commercial retail business field. He also wrote a book, “The Art of Small Business Survival” (1st Book Library).
In addition, he served in leadership roles in the local Jewish community, including as president of the Zionist Organization of America and chairman of the board of the Ner Tamid Greenspring Valley Synagogue. He was also a founder of that congregation.
Albin also served as a board chairman of Talmudical Academy and on the board of Maryland office of State of Israel Bonds.
On a memorial post on the website of Sol Levinson & Bros., Albin’s family wrote, “Leon was most proud of his family and his 35 years of Jewish and secular community work, imbuing all aspects of his life with great honor, integrity and gratitude for the beautiful life he made with his loving wife.”
Wrote Rabbi David E. Herman, director of Maryland Friends of Boys Town Jerusalem: “I met [Albin] through Lt. Governor Melvin ‘Mickey’ Steinberg when they both volunteered to work at an event on behalf of Boys Town Jerusalem, a charity in Israel that deals with underprivileged youth. … He was a proud Jew who took pride in his Yiddishkeit and certainly the accomplishments of his family.
“He often reminded me that he davened everyday with his Tallis and Tefillin and that he was a good student when he attended Talmudical Academy back in the day and was one of the founders of Ner Tamid Synagogue,” wrote Rabbi Herman. “He never forgot his roots and gave of his time and money generously for many worthwhile causes, both Jewish and secular.”
Albin is survived by his children, Linda (Ephraim) Krief, Larry Albin, Howard Albin and Lisa Albin; his grandchildren, Danny (Brigitte) Krief, Molly (John) Dulaj, Eric Krief, Anya Kauffman, and Ellie Kauffman; and his great-grandson, Stav Gez.
He was predeceased by his wife and parents; and his siblings, Harold (Tula) Albin, Blanche (Aaron) Wolf, Beatrice (Maurice) Schwartz, and Bessie (Albert) Hirsch.
Funeral services will be held at Sol Levinson’s Chapel, 8900 Reisterstown Road in Pikesville, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 1 p.m. Burial will take place at Shaarei Tfiloh Cemetery, 5800 Windsor Mill Road in Woodlawn.
Contributions in Albin’s memory may be sent to The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, 5700 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21215.
The family will be in mourning at North Oaks Retirement Community, 725 Mount Wilson Lane in Pikesville, on Wednesday following the burial, at 4 p.m., with a service at 5:45; and on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m., with services at 5:45.
The family will continue sitting shiva on Sunday and Monday from 4 to 7 p.m., with services at 4:45. Morning services will be held at Ner Tamid, 6214 Pimlico Rd in Northwest Baltimore, at 6:45 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
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