Leonard J. "Lenny" Ensor

1939 - 2016

FLORENCE – Leonard J. Ensor, II of Florence, passed away peacefully Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, surrounded by his family at Elaine Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hadley.

Lenny or Joel as he was known to his sisters, leaves his cherished wife, Peggy (Chereski) Ensor; daughter Alice Ensor of California; daughter Lynette Bednaz of Massachusetts, and her children Dean and Samantha; son Leonard J. Ensor, III of Connecticut, his wife Jacqueline and their son Richard; daughter Leslie Biancamano, her husband Nick and their daughter Mikayla; step-daughters Holly Martineau of Massachusetts, her husband Steve and their daughters Brianna Martineau McCormick of Colorado, and Allie Martineau and Amy Corbett of Massachusetts, her husband Luke and daughters Savannah and Hayley Phillips. Lenny also leaves his four sisters; three step-sisters; several nieces and nephews; and a great-grandson Maxwell McCormick. Lenny is predeceased by his sister Joan. 

He was born in Washington D.C., to the late Leonard J. and Doris (Hindman) Ensor I. After graduating high school he served honorably in the United States Air Force. He was very proud of his years serving his country and enjoyed visiting with other veterans at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Leeds, where he was under a doctor's care for Parkinson's disease.

Lenny had many careers in his life, but the one he was the most proud of were his years as a long-haul trucker, driving to 48 of the 50 states, and logging over 4.8 million miles in his 40+ years on the road, many of those years with his dog, T. He often said he "never got lost, only found new ways of getting there." As an independent owner operator he taught many others how to drive the big rigs and to make the most of their life experience on the road. He loved telling stories of the people he met and places he saw, he called his children and grandchildren from the road to share a joke, tell tales and catch up on what he was missing. 

Keeping busy was Lenny's silent mantra, he enjoyed hiking and long walks, playing cribbage and poker, and golfing whenever the opportunity arose (his clubs were often in his truck, allowing him to play courses all over the country). He was known to be a practical joker, die-hard Patriots and Red Sox fan, a grill chef and he enjoyed a good cigar. As Parkinson's took his ability to drive and reduced his mobility he found great pleasure watching golf, listening to music, reading, petting his grand-dog Fiona and visiting with friends and family. 

Lenny felt robbed by Parkinson's and wanted to fight the diseases affects. He read any literature he could find, wanting to understand the diseases progression in order to be prepared for what he might face. A man of deep faith, he trusted he could weather the affects but did not have to take them without a fight.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations to be made in his memory to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741, or at MichaelJFox.org

A celebration of Lenny's life will be Friday, April 29. Times will be announced closer to the date. Drozdal Funeral Home of Northampton is in charge of handling the arrangements. 

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