Dr. Henry Lenz

1934 - 2025

Dr. Henry Lenz left this life Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, to travel his last journey.
Born Oct. 12, 1934, in Udvari, Hungary, to Matyas and Margaret Haiszer Lenz, he was the youngest of three boys. In 1947, during Easter Sunday service, Russian soldiers told the German congregation that they would be deported the following Wednesday with whatever they could carry, beginning his lifetime of study and travel. He, with his parents, immigrated to the United States in 1952, traveling to Columbus, Ohio, where he later became a citizen.
Henry taught in the secondary education and German departments at Slippery Rock University for thirty years. He received his bachelor's at Ohio State University, his master's from the University of Colorado on a specialized government grant and his doctorate from The Ohio State University on a teaching grant. In 1988, Henry was awarded the Silver Seal of the city of Salzburg, Austria, for his outstanding contributions to students and education, after 25 years of tireless work promoting language, international educational programs and tourism between Austria and the United States. Throughout his professional life, Henry received countless grants from the state department to develop language curriculum guides, cultural awareness and teacher training for schools and colleges in countries such as Japan, Egypt and Kenya. In his thirty-five years of teaching, Henry was an exchange or visiting teacher in Egypt, South Korea and China. Henry researched and wrote extensively on the history, language and culture of the German people.
In 1964, while teaching high school German, Henry began taking students abroad through The Cultural Studies Academy, a company he and his wife founded. He later expanded this annual summer work to include college, adult and senior international group tours. Together with his wife, Linda, and his four daughters, the Lenz Family, with Henry as their leader, traveled the world and happily introduced it to countless others. In 1982, Henry and Linda opened a small travel agency, Lenz Travel Services, and later, an airport transportation service, Lenz Travel Airport Shuttle, in Slippery Rock. Henry was passionate about encouraging students to learn about other cultures, customs and peoples, understand their histories and to travel and study abroad. He mentored and positively influenced countless students of all ages, from across the globe, introducing them to the world around them.
After Henry's retirement and countless journeys with wife and family traveling the world, he built his dream home in the woods where he enjoyed fishing, woodworking, building birdhouses for his wildlife sanctuary and many friends, sitting by his lake with his wife enjoying nature and time with his family.
He is survived by his wife, Linda, of 66 years; a brother-in-law, Larry (Gloria) Baker; four daughters, Susan (Steve) Dingman, Wanda Lenz and Reinhard Löcker, Erica (Tim) Papley, Sonya (Vipin) Kohli; five grandchildren, Mathias (Laura-Jane) Dingman, Vincent (Erica) Papley, Alex (Erica) Dingman, Tony (Mara) Papley and Nicole Papley; seven great-grandchildren; as well as many special nieces and nephews; and a beloved cousin, Anna Feller.
He was preceded in death by his brothers, Matthias and Andreas Lenz.
LENZ - Family of Dr. Henry Lenz, who died Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, will receive friends from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22, at SMITH FUNERAL HOME, 421 New Castle St. Slippery Rock.
The funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at Center Presbyterian Church, 211 Center St., Slippery Rock. Burial will immediately follow at North Liberty Cemetery.