"When he walked out, he had a wife, a home and a promise of a job," he said. "His life had changed, and his previous experiences allowed him to do the work he was doing in Baltimore at his death."
From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Faruq worked as an assistant at a foster care agency.
Interested in the plight of ex-offenders and helping them adjust to life outside of prison, in 2001 Mr. Faruq founded Respect Outreach Center, a nonprofit that works with at-risk youth and ex-inmates.
"His message was that once you change your thinking, you can be held accountable for what you know," his wife said. "He got them into training programs. He'd tell them, 'You have to get a job or you'll eventually go back to prison.' "
Several years ago, Mr. Faruq's Respect Outreach Center was merged into Living Classrooms' Safe Streets program.
"Leon's death is an incredible shock and a great loss," said James Piper Bond, president and chief executive of Living Classrooms.
"He had an incredible spirit and an aura about him that captured the respect of the young people on the street, gang members, politicians, mayors and police commissioners," he said.
"His message of no-violence on the streets of Baltimore will be his legacy and his work will go on," Bond said.
Daniel Webster, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy Research and assistant director for research at Johns Hopkins Center for Prevention of Youth Violence, said that Mr. Faruq's work had led to a reduction in violence and homicides in the East Baltimore neighborhood where he worked.
"He had a remarkable gift at mediating serious gang disputes," Mr. Webster said. "He was able to bring his personal message, make connections, build trust, and make lasting peace."
"Leon's legacy will live on because he created lasting change in that part of East Baltimore," Mr. Webster said.
A Howard Park resident, Mr. Faruq was a leader in the neighborhood's Islamic Center and in its Muslim community.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at the Masjid Al Rahman, 6631 Johnnycake Road in Windsor Mill.
Also surviving are his parents, Leon and Irene Awkard of Bladensburg; his brother, George "Punchy" Awkard, who was paroled in 1991 and lives in Suitland; and two sisters, Veronica Awkard of Washington and Jannett Awkard of Jamaica.
