Aiden Anthony Leos was much like other 6-year-old boys: He liked dinosaurs, bugs, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and would dream up entire stories surrounding his toys.
But what made Aiden stand out, his family said at a memorial service Saturday, June 5, was the way he cared for people.
Aiden stole hearts with his giggly jokes. He melted them when he placed his “little fat fingers” in his mother’s palm as they rode swings, Joanna Cloonan said. He healed them with his kindness.
“All his little heart desired was to ensure everyone was happy and feeling good,” said Cloonan, tearfully eulogizing her son at Calvary Chapel in Yorba Linda, where Aiden attended kindergarten.
“He had the power to change everyone’s day,” said Aiden’s sister Alexis, who drew several heavy breaths before speaking.
Aiden, from Costa Mesa, was shot to death on May 21 in a suspected road-rage attack on the 55 Freeway in Orange as his mother drove him to school.
About 40 invited family members, friends and public officials attended the open-casket ceremony that was livestreamed on the internet and to an audience of about 30 at a nearby church that appeared to have included some of Aiden’s classmates. Firefighters, including the paramedics who treated Aiden, and police officers also attended the service.
“I felt such a warm tenderness exude from within Aiden,” Cloonan said.
She raised Aiden as a single mother, though the boy’s father, Jose Leos, was still a big part of his life. The parents named him Aiden, which she said means “little fire.”
“He gave us such joy, giving us purpose to our life. I felt so honored to be Aiden’s mommy,” Cloonan said.
While most of the ceremony was devoted to celebrating Aiden’s life, some speakers also addressed the devastating circumstances surrounding his death.
After a dispute between Cloonan and the occupants of another vehicle, a male passenger fired at Cloonan near Chapman Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol. The shot pierced the trunk and Aiden’s booster seat, entering his back. The killers have not been caught despite a reward that has reached $500,000.
“I want nothing more than to find justice, though it won’t bring you back into my arms,” Cloonan said. “My precious son had his life ripped away for absolutely no reason.”
What hopefully comes from the tragedy should be part of Aiden’s legacy, his mother said.
“If Aiden would like for anything to be transformed as he left this world, he would want all of us to love one another and be kind. There’s so much hurt and pain in our world. And because of this, my son lost his life. I hope we are all aware of changes that must take place, starting with ourselves, in order for the world to be safe and harmonious for our children,” she said.
Cloonan told a story of Aiden encountering an autistic boy on the playground. The boy screamed as he threw himself about the sandbox, yelling that he did not want to talk. Other boys ran away. But Aiden got on his knees and looked at the boy eye to eye.
“It’s OK, you don’t have to talk,” Aiden told the boy, before the pair resumed playing.
“He was given a gift from God to heal people’s hearts,” Cloonan said.
Saturday, in front of the speakers’ lectern, Aiden lay in a white casket adorned with white flowers, his tiny head visible.
Some watching the livestream at the nearby United Methodist Church dabbed their eyes with tissues.
The grief and sight of Aiden may have been too much for some of the children seated in the area reserved for preschoolers. Two women with two children each left during Cloonan’s eulogy.
Among those at the livestream was Garrett Peter of Anaheim. Peter, 21, said he usually scrolls past news of crimes, but there was something about this one that he said got his attention and prompted him to come.
“I’ve never been drawn to anything like this before,” Peter said. But a year ago, he added, God saved him, and he felt a pull to watch the service Saturday, citing “a lot of miracles” in his life.
“I don’t know anyone with the family. But I felt like I needed to be here to show support for the family,” Peter said.
Armen Bagatourian’s children attended school at Calvary Chapel with Aiden.
Asked about the opportunity to say goodbye to the child this way, Bagatourian said, “It’s …” before tearing up, unable to speak further.
The printed program included two quotes from Aiden: “My birthday wish is for everybody to be happy,” and Daddy’s the King, Mommy’s the Beautiful Princess, and I’m the Prince.”
The ceremony wound down with a tribute, image after image of Aiden flashing a toothy smile, as MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine” played on the video.
Afterward, the small casket was escorted to a white hearse by pallbearers. Family members clutched each other tightly.
“You say, ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ But Aiden isn’t lost,” said Calvary Chapel Pastor Joshua Holiday during the service. “We know where he is. … Aiden is with Jesus.”
A private graveside service will be held on Monday, the pastor said.
