Leon Blusiewicz

Leon John Blusiewicz was born February 21, 1931 at home on Essex Street in Baltimore, Maryland the youngest son of John and Sabina (nee Chojnowski) Blusiewicz. He passed away peacefully on November 26, 2023 at the age of 92 from kidney failure.

He is predeceased by his beloved wife, Irene (nee Wisniewski) and son Alexander Lee. Leon is also predeceased by his 3 brothers John (Edna), Thaddeus (Josephine), Edmond (Nona) and 2 sisters, Mary Brown (Richard) and Wanda Pilachowski (Pete). He is survived by his twin sister, Leona Gelhaus (Vernon) and another sister Sabina Cruise (Rodney).

Leon attended Holy Rosary School and Mount St. Joseph High School. After school he worked a variety of jobs including seaman aboard tugboats in the Baltimore harbor although horse racing was his true unwavering passion from an early age.

Known as "Blu" he began his career in horse racing as a groom and hotwalker and as a 1997 profile by Andrew Beyer in the Washington Post noted, "Blusiewicz is an avid student of pedigrees, and over the years he has been successful in picking out bargains at yearling sales. But he never cultivated the type of clients who would give him a blank check (or even a large check) to buy horses, and he has always operated a stable of modest scope..." "Blu" trained many promising horses in Maryland and New York including Willa On the Move and Snow Plow, both Grade I stakes winners. He also had several grade 3 stakes winnners with Mighty Magee, Skipat, Tong Po, Millions and Spartiatis. Spartiatis won the 2017 Tom Fool Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack when Blusiewicz was 85 years old.

Leon also loved to travel and always did it first class. He was a gourmet cook, and yes, it is true, he made THE BEST CRABCAKES in the world. He was known for and took pride in his dapper attire and gentlemanly demeanor.

Leon was lovingly cared for by his longtime companion June Rogers and her sister Judy Treuth.