Leonard VanHouten

Van Houten, Leonard E.
Leonard E. Van Houten, 89, of Greenwich died on Sunday, March 16, 2014. Born December 20, 1924, in Jersey City to Leonard and Margaret Van Houten, Leonard graduated from Spring Garden School in Nutley, St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, and received B.C.E. and M.C.E. degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1945 and 1947, respectively. On December 20, 1947, during the Blizzard of 1947, he married Marie Kathryn Regan. They lived in Kinnelon, NJ, The Netherlands, and Montclair, NJ, before moving to Greenwich in 1980. A veteran of World War II, Leonard joined the Navy in 1942 after high school, and served until 1946, including two and a half years in the active Naval R.O.T.C. program at Rensselaer where he earned his Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree with a minor in Naval Science and Tactics. As a civil engineer, he had a 60 plus year career in project planning, design, and construction. He held executive positions at Frederic R. Harris Inc; Van Houten Associates, which he founded and directed; Dravo Engineers and Constructors; and Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas. He later was an independent engineering consultant serving engineering firms, contractors, and diverse clients on technical and organizational issues. His career focused on projects worldwide including ship building, repair, and operations and oil and gas production and transport. He authored numerous technical papers and served as an expert on technical questions in litigation. Leonard was an Honorary Fellow of the American Society of Engineers, a Life Member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and a Life Member of the Moles. A life-long sailor, he was a member of the New York Yacht Club and the Indian Harbor Yacht Club. Leonard was predeceased by Marie R. Van Houten, his wife of 65 years in April 2013, and his brother, Thomas G. Van Houten. He is survived by two children: Elizabeth M. Van Houten of San Francisco and Westbrook, CT, and Peter J. Van Houten of New Milford, CT. Viewing will be this Friday, March 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. in Knapp Funeral Home, 267 Greenwich Ave. A funeral Mass will be held this Saturday, March 22, at 10:00 a.m. in St. Mary Parish, 178 Greenwich Ave. A private burial will take place Monday at Mount Calvary Cemetery, in Butler, NJ