- Date Of Birth: May 28, 1966
- Date Of Death: November 19, 2022
- State: California
Leighton Charles Hubbell died on November 19, 2022, at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach at the age of 56. He is survived by his wife Mary, daughters Mason and Caden, sister Jeannie Hubbell, brother-in-law Erik Gawthorpe, and niece Gabel Gawthorpe. He was preceded in death by his parents Sheldon and Linda Hubbell.
Leighton was born in May 1966 in San Jose, California. He had a rather nomadic life – living in Indiana, Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Hawaii, and California.
Leighton always knew he wanted to be a creative person – whether it was drawing, painting or teaching. An incessant doodler in grade school, Leighton developed that talent into a successful career as an illustrative designer. He graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art and the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He always had a sketchbook handy that he filled with ideas for projects. He loved art, fonts, and typography and passed on his experiences teaching graphic design at Chapman University in Orange, California. He got to do what he loved for a living – working as a brand developer and graphic designer creating logos, icons, and identities for entrepreneurial companies, education facilities, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and major local, national and international corporations. Throughout his colorful career, Leighton worked in ad shops, design firms and in-house departments in addition to a 15-year stint working on his own. Most recently, Leighton led graphic design at Smith & Noble Smart Shades, LinkedIn, and ESRI.
With his partner in life for 28 years, he fostered a home filled with positive energy and love. He was an amazing father who shared his love of art and design on school career days, helped to make sure his daughters’ science fair projects looked professionally designed, and served as a cheerleader on the sidelines at the kids’ sporting events.
Music filled his life. He enjoyed all genres as long as the lyrics were fun. Weekend mornings often started with Leighton entertaining his family by singing while he made breakfast.
When Leighton wasn’t making stuff, you would find him tinkering in the garage or riding his bike.
The DIY handyman who always emphasized craftsmanship and truly enjoyed the process of getting the job done right. He always involved his daughters in his projects to teach and encourage creativity in a range of pursuits. He loved to ride anything on wheels – from motocross motorcycles that he rode competitively in high school, transitioning in adulthood to logging about 4,000 miles annually on road and mountain bikes. Father-daughter excursions to Supercross and Monster Truck events were an annual tradition. In recent years he enjoyed local car shows with the 1962 Ford Fairlane that was passed down from his family.
For nearly a decade, he served as a coach helping to motivate aspiring cyclists train for and complete 100-mile bike rides to raise thousands of dollars to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Leighton was a bright light who always filled a room with color, his witty sense of humor, a knack for telling stories and even a bit of song. His passing has left a silent and empty hole in the lives of those who loved him. Leighton was always ready to drop everything to help a friend or stranger. Leighton left us far too soon. He was completely fine one day and gone the next – breaking the hearts of loved ones in his many circles of friends.
