Leo Passage Obituary

Mr Leo:
I knew about PPI long before I moved to Chicago. If I ever lived there I would take classes with their education team. And for 20 yrs I did that. Loved the method & pro'isms- that's how I know so many of that wonderful team. The subscriptions were wonderful yearly. I had every PPI book they published. And that great smiling face told me when I started teaching I could borrow anything from PPI that would make my classes better & I did many times.Thanks PPI for bring The USA the best education. Much success, Mr Leo is so missed.
Mw Navratil
May 6, 2025| Chicago, IL
STILL MISSED A-WONDERFUL SHARING SOUL

MISS both Leo & Corrine...both you guys left the world a BETTER PLACE. andy

When I was attending Arnold´s international school of cosmetology in 1976, I was lucky enough to be a model for Mr. Passage at the Omni international.

when I drive by the old PIVOT POINT hq on chicago avenue south into chicago, I always think of leo

Always in my heart. The best mentor anyone can ask for. Just an amazing human being.

I still think of Leo often. There are times that someone or something will come up that just reminds me of him. I miss him and the wonderful mentor that he was. No one will ever replace that for me. He knew how to respect his Pivot Point family and what they meant.

Mr Leo:
I knew about PPI long before I moved to Chicago. If I ever lived there I would take classes with their education team. And for 20 yrs I did that. Loved the method & pro'isms- that's how I know so many of that wonderful team. The subscriptions were wonderful yearly. I had every PPI book they published. And that great smiling face told me when I started teaching I could borrow anything from PPI that would make my classes better & I did many times.Thanks PPI for bring The USA the best education. Much success, Mr Leo is so missed.
Mw Navratil
June 04, 2016 | Chicago, IL
STILL MISSED A-WONDERFUL SHARING SOUL

Mr Leo:
I knew about PPI long before I moved to Chicago. If I ever lived there I would take classes with their education team. And for 20 yrs I did that. Loved the method & pro'isms- that's how I know so many of that wonderful team. The subscriptions were wonderful yearly. I had every PPI book they published. And that great smiling face told me when I started teaching I could borrow anything from PPI that would make my classes better & I did many times.Thanks PPI for bring The USA the best education. Much success, Mr Leo is so missed.

Pictures was taken at Fair Lady salon with Nelson Chan and Leo Passage on 1976 in Hong Kong. Leo passage was a respectable and memorable legend in Hair Industry.

Leo Passage 1976Nelson Chan

It is very rare that a day goes by that I don't think about the impact you had on my life. Your so missed.

Dear Leo,
We remeber you as a most friendly en very kind member of our family, who never forgot his roots!
We all miss you.
Sterkte voor Leny en de (klein-)kinderen!

Miss you Brother

It is almost a year since your passing and still my heart hurts. Everytime I go to Evanston I miss seeing you and hearing your words of wisdom. My 15 year anniversary just passed and the thing I missed the most was receiving an email or card from you. God what an impact you had.

The beauty industry has lost a man who was an innovator, a mentor and true gentleman. Thankfully he leaves behind inspiration to all fellow hairdressers. I will miss him......

A TRUE professional. The cosmetology field has lost a true patriarch!

I have just learned of Leo's passing. He was a remarkable and talented man who loved his family and Pivot Point with a passion that was evident in everything he did for them. It was an honor and a priviledge to serve on his Pivot Point Board and to assist him in creating an eternal vision for his loves. I wish his family many happy memories as I have of him. I also wish them continued success in keeping his memory alive through Pivot Point.

Hard to believe someone as powerful, vibrant and talented a personality would go so young. I worked at PPI three times, starting in '67. Leo was one of my most important mentors, sending me all over the US when I was just in my 20s. Around the world in the 70s when I returned from London Sassoon's. I've always looked up to Leo, someone I admired and respected. PPI was a revolution in the 60s. Leo was as important to the industry's technical & artistic growth through the decades as anyone before or after him. Schools around the world that he inspired & shaped has lost one of the greatest educational influences. I will miss Leo's friendship.
I know PPI will be in good hands with the present staff, family & future family members that will grow into the organization.
So glad I was able to attend the services, the celebration of Leo’s life in Chicago with the family, Lenie, Robert, Corrine and those friends from around the world I’ve known from my times with the company. Leo brought the profession to a very high level, influencing future generations long into the foreseeable future.

Our prayers are with the entire Passage and Pivot Point Family. Mr. Passage was such an inspiration for all of us in the cosmetology industry. We will miss him; but his determination and vision is an example for all of us.

Dudley Beauty College-Chicago
Dudley Products Inc.

To Those Fortunate Enough to Know Him: Leo was a friend like no other. It was my good fortune to become his accountant and confidant almost 50 years ago. From that came loving and caring attachments to his extended family and his introducing me into the world of fishing. The picture shown of the four of us was our last trip together and it was at the top of the world in August, 1985. It was heaven and where, I am sure, Leo is casting his line.

Dear Mr. Passage: You were a mentor and dear friend to many. You will be missed, and my deepest condolences to Mrs. Passage, Robert, Corrine and your extended family. You remained "human" and compassionate in a world that is often taken over by the mechanics of business. No one can replace you and you will be missed.

To Leo Passage and family, Bioelements Professional Skin Care has been a long time friend to the Pivot Point schools in its support and committment to introducing constant new fans to the world of beauty.
He will be sorely missed as the inspiration of a generation entering the business. For those that had the good luck to interact with and do business with Mr Passage, they know they worked with the best.
Lou Ann Kuzniewski, Bioelements Skin Care, Chicago

Mon Ami Leo:
I count myself lucky to have been your friend. Something that comes to mind when I think of you is:
Dicipline: You had it for competition, it was in your blood!
Education: Your passion for education is unsurpassed.
Creation: The Mannequins you created are recognized first by the OAI, and now the OMC.
Sharing: You shared your knowledge and passion for the hair industry with the World.
The hair industry is going to miss you. I will miss you. Most "Sinceres Condleance" to your family
Daniel G. Ruidant and Family
Belgium World Champion

A true inspiration that sparked the start of many wonderful and fulfilling careers....I am grateful to have met & studied under your guidance! You will be missed & forever honored as a leader in education! Bambi Montgomery

Dear Mr. Passage,
Your approach to life was inspiring. Thank you for keeping the love for the people that continue to produce your dreams for as long as you did. They (we) are all better for playing our parts. You will inspire forever.
Thank you

Leo Passage is with me every day of my life, his teachings, philosophy and caring ways. He saw in me what nobody else could, including myself. He accepted and offered himself, unselfishly, as a bridge to everyone becoming the very best version of themselves. I became as US Citizen, traveled over 17 countries and became what I am today because of Leo. It is sad to say goodbye, but since I know I will see Leo again, I will say, "Hasta La Vista, Amigo." Photo taken in 1974 by Jack Perno and used by Pivot Point International as PR photo.

My Tiger/Partner

I worked for Leo for over a decade, early in my career, photographing hair and fashion and creating productions for Pivot Point Intl.
During those years, he regularly dispatched me to Europe giving me opportunities and challenging my abilities. Even, with all of my inherent flaws and evident lack of maturity, he never fired me.
I really loved that man.

Naturally, he addressed me by name, but “hey tiger’ or “hi partner” were some of his most often used greetings when we crossed paths.
He was my boss and my protector.
I was his tiger/partner. I liked that.

From the first day I went to work for him, I was hooked on publishing and distribution. I was a fashion photo and print junkie and he was my enabler. Together, we produced well over 100 hair/fashion magazines.

Leo allowed us to create without restraint, borders, or restriction, regardless of how off the chart our ideas might be. Infinite wisdom or endless patience? Perhaps a bit of both.

Through Leo, I forged friendships with like-minded, kindred spirits which have lasted a lifetime, none of which would have ever developed without him.
When I fell in love with a girl from Norway during the first Symposium, he facilitated my amorous pursuit across the planet to bring her home. Then, he helped her to obtain a work visa, to satisfy my yearning heart. That was Leo Passage.

I don’t recall one moment when I didn’t love working for Leo, with the possible exception of when I was called to the president’s office, for missing my international flight home and spending the weekend at a castle chalet in Luxembourg. That cost me my company American Express card, but not my job.
“Sorry Tiger, I have to take your Amex card.”

Working at Pivot Point was like working in a family business and like a family, not everyone got along all of the time, particularly with a hippie photographer with an aversion to authority figures.

Leo was not an authority figure, he was a rock star and I liked rock stars.
Although I often called him boss, I followed him because he was a leader.
And….

He was my Tiger/Partner.

The last time that I spoke to Leo was a few months ago, when another dear friend and colleague of ours, Marc Betbeder had passed, and I hadn’t seen him since Xenon’s memorial service, but we promised each other that we would get together soon. I regret that I had not been more proactive.

So, here we are today reflecting on a wonderfully inspirational man, who had such an impact on all of our lives at different times, for many different reasons, each unique and every one special.
All of us have probably felt that we were special to him. We were, and he truly cared about all of us.

For me, he was my Tiger/Partner.

Dear Leo, Your vision truly created a world of beauty bringing us together to accomplish and to become more than we thought possible. I keep you with me always.Thank you Lenie for being the quiet partner keeping it all together. I remember our trip to Marathon,FL escaping the bitter Chicago snow of Feb.'78, the Yellow-tail fish and chocolate sandwiches. It was your private time of the year with Leo and he brought me along to work.The sacrifices helped build the professional lives and personal confidence of a million others we call the Pivot Point family. I'm glad he finally had time to give to his grand children and know that Leo lives on in all of us.

Honored is how I feel, that is the overriding emotion. Sad too, yes of course, but having had the opportunity to work with Leo for the past 23 years in a very intimate way was above all a tremendous honor. Leo shaped my life and that of my family like so many other lives in an amazingly enriching way. I know Leo will live on through all of us as we continue to empower students around the world. Jan Laan, former CEO, VP International Business Development

The beauty industry has Leo's thumbprint ever engaged on it. A true trailblazer and excellent soul, warmly engaged in those he met along the way. You have touched many lives and made them better. For all youve done for our business, thank you. Through your work you have created leaders. My condolences to your family.

Thankyou for teaching so may of us to love to make hair move. Richard Hathaway , Winnipeg, Canada

Although we never met, Leo's name will always be remembered and honored throughout my career. May your soul rest in heaven and thank you for all you have done.

Thank you Mr. Passage for your dreams you shared with the world and your inspiration for so many of us. You will be missed.

Leo always said "How many fishing trips do you have left?"
The four of us enjoyed fishing and each others company. When a trip was being planned he would ask me "can you make it?" If I hesitated and thought about work he would ask the question.
We tried to balance work and pleasure.
Fishing with the guys was always a reward for hard work.
In my day to day work life I still hear Leo ask the same question.
"How many fishing trips do you have left?"
God bless you.

Bob Deer

Dearest Leo

I hope you look back and smile !!
Thank you Leo for everything that you have done for all of us I will miss you beyond what words can express . You have been a guiding light through my entire career.
The greatest and toughest mentor a person could ever have. Ever since I came to Chicago I have been embraced by the whole Passage family and the Pivot Point family. I learnt very early at Pivot Point that if you want to get somewhere it’s a matter of perseverance and personal engagement these a key things that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
I am eternally grateful for all opportunities that I have been offered by you and your family they have given me the richest life imaginable .
even through tough times you have always been there with your warm smile and wisdom to carry us along because you believed in us.
There are so many wonderful memories that I will take with me as I feel blessed and privileged to have had the great opportunity to have been guided by you both in my life and my work.

Heaven is blessed to have you
You will live forever in my heart
Joakim Roos

Leo thank you for letting me be a part of the amazing and talented Pivot Point family. I feel blessed to have known you and will always do my best to inspire our students.

May the Passage and Pivot Point International Families find peace and solace during this time of sorrow. Just know that Mr. Passage is continuing his magic in heaven.

It was 33 years ago when I walked into Leo's office to hopefully sell Pivot Point some products that I was repping. Leo told me he didn't need the products, but he wanted me to join his management team. The rest is history, and for the next 10 years we were like brothers. After I left to move to Florida, we stayed in touch, and shared memories. Leo was one of a kind, and I shall dearly miss him.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Passage family during this difficult time. Leo will be greatly missed by all.

I have fond memories of our families getting together to go fishing, horse riding, and a visit we had at your house. My dad, Mack Evans, would love to talk with you, Lenie. Please look him up again and give him a call.

What a huge influence Leo Passage had on my life.....The last few days I have reflected on all the things he taught me. I am so honored to have worked so closely in my life with such a wonderful person. My thoughts and prayers are with the family.

Good bye my Friend / Mentor. May you find peace in Heaven. Love you, Michael Sacramento

I worked at Pivot Point many years ago in the sales department but I will always remember that he was a gentle small giant that was there for me in my time of sadness.. My condolences to his family and his Pivot Point family.. He was truly a human to aspire to be like.

Dear Lenie. so sorry for the lost of your great LEO. We have always had him in our hearts and he has been a source of inspiration all these years. HE WAS NOT ONLY A BIGGER THAN LIFE EDUCATOR AND HAIRSTYLIST but a very caring, human and giving person. . To me he was my mentor my friend my teacher.... I treasure the years that I worked on the 6th floor and went to school too, all because of Leo. God bless the Passage family. A big hug to you

Heaven rejoiced the day they received one of its brightest angels. I will always love you Mr. Passage, for your humble heart, words of wisdom, and for lighting my life's path. You showed us how one must live with purity of heart, and to give to others while expecting nothing in return. To Mrs. Passage, Corrine and Robert, and to all your families, may God comfort you and guide you during this most painful time.

My deepest condolences to the Passage family. Mr. Passage was an inspiration to all. His passion was contagious and I feel blessed to have known him.

He will be greatly misses.

Beste Lenie Robert en Corrine,

Vanuit Nederland de hartelijke condoleances van Lex Annemie Gaston en Paul en ook van Diny Armando en Saskia Wij wensen jullie veel sterkte toe bij het verwerken van dit grote verlies. Wij zijn in gedachten bij jullie.


Lex Plantaz

In 1967, I was invited to a three day show in New York. After the show and class, a gentleman named Leo Passage walked up to me and said “Hi Jan, I am from Holland as well”. That was the first time I became acquainted with my best friend and mentor, Leo Passage.

The two of us worked steadfast and full of energy to create Pivot Point to what it has now become. Without his enthusiasm, energy and love for this profession, Pivot Point would not have been what it is today. I am very proud that his two children, Robbie and Corrine (whom I saw growing up from age three or four) are in charge of pushing his legacy forward.

Leo Passage will always be remembered as the most giving artist in the hairdressing field. I am honored that I had the opportunity to work with him over all those years, and watch him become one of the greatest educational influences in our industry.

Leo, you are missed.

To the Passage family... Leo was a source of inspiration to many Canadian competitors... we will all miss him.
With Respect... Sabino & Aldo DiTacchio,
Raymond Bianchi & Ralph Johnston/Canada.

corrine, rob and john,
sorry for your loss. it was a pleasure working with leo...the little bit I did. he was a WARM & GENUINE person who always made me feel an business equal. I will MISS HIM.

Lenie, Corrine and Robert, may God comfort you and your family in your sadness. I will never forget Leo and how he influenced my passion for competition and many other things. I was blessed to know and work with him. May God hold you close.

Lenie, Robert, Corrine and families,
My thoughts and prayers are with you. Leo has touched so many lives. We all have such wonderful memories to keep our spirits directed. His smile always gave me confidence. The twinkle in his eye challenged me. I will never forget the role he has played in making my life what it is today. He will be missed - but remembered forever.

Leo was a very talented guy. When he and Lenie shared their years winning competitions, Leo with his talent and Lenie as his beautiful model, I was awestruck. What a worldclass hairdresser. He also taught me how to run a tight ship in business. He shared his knowledge and wanted others to be successul. A good soul. Ross and I will miss him.

A terrific "gentle"man, and visionary. Sorry we never got to go fishing together it would have been fun. My condolences to Corrine and the family.

Leo was an amazing man. Humble, engaging and warm. I have been lucky to get to know his family - my thoughts and warm wishes are with all of them during this time.

Love, Patrick Hughes, Jr.

Leo was my mentor and my friend. I am blessed to have known him and all of his Pivot Point family. He will be sorely missed. He made the world a better, kinder place.

My condolences go out to his family. I went to Pivot Point and learned so much from this wonderful school. He was a great man and will be dearly missed.

You will be so missed and I love you and thank you for everything you have done for me. I will treasure our talks and your words of wisdom forever. God Bless Lenie and give her strength. I will take care of your competitors always. My deepest deepest sympathy to Robert and Corrine and your gradchildren.

My sincere condolences to Leo's family. I have such wonderful memories from working with Leo at Pivot Point on Howard Street so many years ago. He was such an energetic and caring person. I will always remember his smiling face.

Our prayers are with the family in this great loss. We loved Leo and will miss seeing his beaming face. For Chistians it is not good bye, just good night, we will see you again.

Rip Leo we will miss u

R.I.P. Leo. I am very grateful for everything you, and the people you inspired, taught me. I was able to pass much of it on to thousands of students.I have such wonderful memories of you as one of my early mentors.
My heart is with your wonderful family... Your wife, Robert, Corrine (and their families).You gave us all a reason to hold our heads a little higher. Thank you, Leo.