Edward Leong, 61, a staffer in the Office of Legislative Counsel for 36 years, died on Dec. 7 at his home in McLean, Virginia, after a nine-year battle with lung cancer.  

“He was funny, caring, and brilliant,” said Sandra Strokoff, the legislative counsel of the House. “We work totally behind-the-scenes and he was completely OK with that. He was all about making sure that the legislation drafted was as good as it could possibly be.”

His is wife, CheeLee Leong, said her husband was a humble man and good listener who enjoyed swimming and loved spending time with his family at home. “I want people to remember … Ed as a very humble, behind-the-scenes, positive” man, CheeLee Leong said. “Anybody that has had the privilege of having contact with him for a short time, or a long time, will usually walk away with those impressions.”

Edward Leong was born on June 3, 1953 and raised in Queens, N.Y. He completed his undergraduate studies at Yale and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

He is survived by his wife, two children, Stephen, 22, and Anna, 20; his parents, Douglas and Kam; and brothers, Norman and Ernest.

Correction 4:26 p.m.

A previous version of this story misspelled the names of Edward Leong’s parents. Their names are Douglas and Kam.

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