Leonard Price

With his charismatic spirit and familiar smile, Len Price was a dependable source of happiness and love for his family and many friends. Len was a loving husband and a supportive father and grandpa, and in the company of his family, a familiar smile often brimmed over his lips.

Following the end of the Great War, the 1920’s marked a decade of jazz music, sports, movies, and economic prosperity. Yet by the year 1927, the earliest symptoms of the Great Depression had already begun to take shape throughout America, hinting at a reversal of fortune in the near future. Amid these uncertainties, Leonard Price, Sr. and his wife Olive Nanson kept their optimistic spirits by focusing on a treasure that was guaranteed to grow with time—their newly born son, Leonard, Jr.

It was on January 14, 1927 that Leonard and Olive welcomed their only child into their home in Youngstown, Ohio. Len, as his family and friends called him, enjoyed a typical, happy childhood in Youngstown.

When he was a young boy, his family moved to Cuyahoga, Ohio where Len grew up. He was a natural athlete, and he made friends very easily. Like the community, Len highly regarded his parents, and as the Great Depression thickened, he was especially taken by their civic-minded attitude, an attitude he himself would soon adopt.

After graduating from Cuyahoga Falls High School in 1945, Len enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Germany, where he served for twelve months until his discharge in 1946. He then returned home to Ohio and soon enrolled at Kent State University. College was an exciting time for Len. From 1947-1949, he wore the number “10” for the school’s basketball team. He was also the president of his fraternity, Phi Gamma Theta. After graduating in 1950, Len moved on to George Williams College in Chicago where he earned his M.S. degree. But Len always kept Kent close to his heart, and as he grew older he became an active member in the Alumni Association.

During his days at Kent, Len fell in love with an attractive young woman named Carol Weltner. They began dating, and it wasn’t too long before Len asked for her hand in marriage. She agreed, and they were happily married on January 27, 1950. They were blessed with four healthy children, Paul, Karen, Jonathon, and Brenda.

As a father, Len was always full of love and devotion. He worked hard to provide for his family, but he knew how to juggle family life and his work. He was a director for the YMCA, and over the years his job placed him and his family in many cities throughout the United States, including Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit, and finally Lansing.

During his tenure in Lansing, Len learned that his wife was terminally ill, and he made this job with the YMCA his last to be able to focus all of his energy on Carol. When she passed away in 1971 after 21 years of marriage, two of his kids were in college and two were in high school.

When Len returned to the working world, he decided to move on from the YMCA and began working as a professional fundraiser. From 1975-1984, he worked as Senior Principal for Jerold Panas, Young, & Partners; from 1986-1994 he was the Senior Counsel for American City Bureau. He also held numerous positions as campaign consultant for capital fund campaigns all over the country.

Wherever Len went, he was always making friends—and since he traveled a lot for his work, he had friends all over the country. But among his many friends, Virgene Oberlin was the one he held most dearly. They met in 1965, when they were working together. As a funny coincidence, they shared the same birthday, and over the years they stayed in touch by sending birthday and Christmas cards. In 1985 they began dating, and three years later they were married in Spokane, Washington.

In 1989, Len and Virgene returned to the Midwest to be near their family. They settled in Vicksburg, where they would live for nearly a decade before relocating to Portage. Upon relocating to the Kalamazoo area, Len returned from retirement to work for RDMG Life Story Funeral Homes as a preplanning consultant.

Len was a calm, relaxed man, and you could often find him listening to classical music, which he appreciated for its soothing quality. He also liked the symphony. In his later years, he enjoyed watching his family grow with the blessing of many grandchildren. As a grandpa, he was a source of love and support, a friend to count on when you needed someone to listen. Always open-minded and easy tempered, he would help you find your own answer instead of telling you what to do.

Len was a member of Portage Rotary and the Masonic Order from DeMolay to Shrine. No matter where he lived, Len took his membership in the Church very seriously. In Kalamazoo he was also active on different committees, boards, and volunteer causes within his congregation of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Among his colleagues, many friends, and loving family, he will be greatly missed and frequently remembered.

Len died on Sunday April 24, 2005 in Kalamazoo. Learn more about Len’s life, view his life story film, and visit with his family and friends Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the RDMG Life Story Funeral Homes Portage Chapel, 5975 Lovers Lane, Portage, MI. 49002 (phone 269-344-5600). Funeral services will be held Friday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 247 W. Lovell St, Kalamazoo, MI. 49007 (phone 269-345-8553). Private interment will take place at Ft. Custer National Cemetery. Members of Len’s family include his wife Virgene whom he married in 1988, his children, Paul Price of Republic, MI, Karen (Thomas) Roth of Grand Rapids, Jonathon (Sandra) Price of Fenton, Brenda (Thomas) Prendergast of Naperville, IL, stepchildren; Lori (Allen) Shedd of Henderson, NV, Mark (Melissa) Kuepfer of Kalamazoo, Paul Kuepfer of Traverse City, Kristin (Scott) Watkins of Portage and 23 grandchildren, Jason, Casey, Jessica, Sarah Beth and Andrea Price, Brian, Charles and Melissa Roth, Sara, Carol and Anne Marie Price, Sean, Kyle, and Evan Prendergast, Alexander, Brandon, and Elizabeth Shedd, Theodore and Luke Kuepfer, Gary Kuepfer, Hannah, Madison, and Faith Watkins. Please visit Len’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can archive a favorite memory or, In lieu of flowers, make a memorial donation to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Kent State University Foundation, American Diabetes Association or Shriner’s Hospitals.