Michael M. Leska

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You could feel that his star burned brighter every time he smiled at you and laughed uproariously.

We sorrowfully announce the passing of Michael M. Leska “Mike”, 50, loving son of Maria and the late Mike R. Leska; devoted husband of Samantha Rahn; doting parent of the late Maeby (dog), the late PrettyKitty (cat), the bereaved Willy Nelson (dog), and the bereaved Scottie Pippen (cat); treasured brother of Melissa Leska, Amy (Erik) Leska-Bocek, Merin Leska, and Brian (Ibtissam) Leska; extremely proud uncle of Avery, Bert, Regan, and William; beloved son-in-law of Jamie (Sherry) Rahn; cousin of Anthony Hudec, Michael Hudec, the entire Hudec-Hernandez family, Jason Guerra, and Jeff Guerra; and treasured and loyal friend of so many: George Hardison, Lizzie Hardison, John Guettler, Katie Ehrenberg, the Wukowitch family, Francisco Vega, Brian Zajac, Fred Brown, Joel Naleway, Daniel Martin, Max Rathberger, Felix Ortega, Victor Olaguez, Kimberly Toporek, Mike Walker, Mike Stoehr, Terry Nelligan, Sean Lee, Mark Kletzel, the late Jeffrey Mackey, the Villa-Pagan family, the Martin-Schofield family, and the Rahn family. His only regret will be time missed with all of you.

Losing Mike is truly a great loss, especially for those that didn’t get to know him. From the moment he was born on May 28, 1976, to the day he passed on June 26, 2026, he has always been too smart, too loving, too funny, too charming, too magnetic, too deep, too generous, too curious, and too genuine for this world. You could feel that his star burned brighter every time he smiled at you and laughed uproariously. You could be somewhere that there’s no reason for anyone to know him, mention his name, and someone would say, “Wait - did he play football at Lane Tech?” and you’d hear a wild story 25 years after he graduated high school. He has loved ones stretching from the islands of Alaska to the tip of Florida, collected over too short a time, but cherished fully in life. Everywhere he went, he connected with people, giving of himself unconditionally, and helping everyone around him live bigger. His heart was even big enough to encompass (some) Packers fans (with only the gentlest of smack talk) despite his eternal devotion to the Bears (he will forgive us for giving away this shameful secret). Even after holding onto so many people from childhood into adulthood, in a way few people manage to, he accomplished another rare feat and continued to make real friendships over his entire adult life - he was just someone everyone wants to be with. His career working Chicago trade desks as a broker brought him together with many more wonderful people; he was so, so thankful for all of them through the ups and downs of life. He knew how very few people have a community like this to support them, and for the past year he has frequently remarked on how lucky he felt, how much he loved his job, and where he has ended up in life.

He never felt luckier, though, than when he had the opportunity to love and protect a furry, feathered, or scaled critter. Over the past few years, whenever life seemed hard, he only needed to look into the loving eyes of an animal he tenderly cared for and he’d remark “how did we get so lucky.” The silver lining of his passing is that he has gone to join all those he loved and lost, including his number one girl, his ‘perfection pup’ puggle-daughter Maeby-bean. The rest of us will need to make do and try to honor his legacy until we see them again.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, July 2, 2026 from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Kolbus – John V. May Funeral Home, 6857 W. Higgins Ave., Chicago, IL 60656.

Interment will be private.

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He connected with people, giving of himself unconditionally, and helping everyone around him live bigger.

A celebration of life will be held Sunday, July 5, 2026 from 12:00 pm to close at Babe’s on Milwaukee, 4416 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60630.

Memorial donations may be made in Mike’s memory to the Garrido Stray Rescue Foundation – link below.