Nicole Atlas’ 8-year-old son, Leo, will be looking over a piece of writing when his eyes squint as he notices something askew in the text. It may be a spelling error or some other mistake that the author has made, and the young one will look up at his mother.

“He’ll say, ‘Somebody needs an editor,’” Atlas told the Cleveland Jewish News. “My dad would get such a kick out of that.”

Leo’s growing role as a copyeditor serves as a great reminder of the influence that Rich Passan, a fixture in the Cleveland sports scene as a longtime writer for The Plain Dealer and radio host for WWWE and WKNR, had on his loved ones.

Passan died on May 4, 2024, at the age of 85 after a battle with brain cancer. A memorial service was held at Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz Memorial Chapel in Cleveland Heights.

Now,

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