Leo Bretholz leapt to freedom after bending two parallel bars on a railroad car headed to a Nazi concentration camp.

He spent much of the rest of his life telling his story.

I was honored that he was a witness for my 2011 legislation that required the French national railroad (SNCF), Leo’s transporter to the German border, to make its World War II archives available to the public.

The American and French governments are now in serious negotiations about reparations for Americans like Leo who were taken by SNCF to Germany.

The Rev. Robert E. Albright became a longtime friend of Leo.

Rev. Albright eulogized him today and “all those whose story Leo told.”

On the funeral home website, I wrote:

Leo was an extraordinary human being. His perseverance, commitment, and sense of humor never faltered.

He left us so close to achieving his life’s objective.