[by Tom Dier]
When I first met the Litvacks, Sharon was in the "family way," getting ready to have Samara, her first born. Les had hired me to do some work on their house in Mosheim, when both he and I were new residents of Greene County, Tennessee. Since I was new in town, I didn't know very many people and, as a result, I had little work as a self-employed house painter. Les and Sharon filled that gap and helped get me off to a decent start, financially. We became friends and saw each other often, socially.
Les got me interested in coin collecting, and we spent much time in that pursuit, going to coin shows, joining two local coin clubs, and trading with each other. We formed a small company, buying and selling coins and small collectibles. Eventually, there was too much merchandise to keep track of, so we decided to split everything up two ways and go our separate ways. Everything remained amicable. We still spent a lot of time as what can be considered "informal partners"----when a collection would be up for sale, but neither of us had enough money to make the purchase. It was then we'd pool our money, make the purchase, and either divide the coins or make a quick sale and split the profit. Les did much traveling in the Tri-Cities and Knoxville areas and would ALWAYS stop at coin stores, pawn shops, and flea markets in search of merchandise. He made a lot of connections with people, especially those with whom he could make good deals. Many times he would cut me in on something where both of us could make a small profit. Les had a rule of thumb that considered percentages and not necessarily huge profits. He felt it was better to keep turning your money over and allow the person to whom you were selling, who may also be dealing, to turn a profit. If you treated someone fairly, they would not hesitate to do more business with you. One day Les asked me to come to his store because he was having problems with a high school kid he believed had pilfered a large amount of baseball cards. He wanted me to come and browse his store and be a bystander when this kid came to work that day. Les was to confront the kid and wanted me to be a witness to the conversation. He assured me that nothing would occur that might pose legal problems for either of us. This kid was a minor, so Les had to be careful. To make a long story short, the kid quickly admitted to the theft. Les gave him the choice of either going to the police or having Les call the kid's father. The kid chose the latter. Once the call was made, I left the store. According to Les, he explained to the kid's father that his first concern was getting his merchandise back, but he also wanted the kid to learn a lesson that might prove valuable later in his life. The father readily agreed to everything and Les got his stuff back. The kid apologized, as did the father, who came into the store later with a gift for Les. I can't remember if it was tickets to some event or maybe a plate of cookies the kid's mother made. Les was pleased that the kid would learn a lesson. In conclusion, Les loved his family. Like the rest of us, he was not perfect and would have been the first one to admit it. I can say with a degree of certainty that I was one of his best friends, at least from the standpoint of the amount of time we spent together over the years. We had many serious conversations, the most important of which were always about his children. Les, many times, expressed concerns about what type of world his children would grow up in. I believe that he always gave his best to insure that, when he left this earth, his children could make something out of their lives---- that he could leave them something to help them along the way. He'll be missed, but will live on through his children. God Bless all of you!
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