Lothar Bruno Horst Lenhardt

1934 - 2023

Lothar Bruno Horst Lenhardt, BS, MBA, "Lenny" to many of his family and friends, of Manchester, received peace on Jan. 30, 2023.

Beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he was also an educated and accomplished professional engineer who contributed proudly to history and America's success in putting man on the moon, and later became a key man and employee-owner at a manufacturer of road and pedestrian safety products, rightly credited with protecting and preserving many lives. Born in Manhattan's Upper East Side on Oct. 3, 1934, his life spanned some of the most momentous events of the last century. Shortly after his birth, his parents Bruno and Elsa, having sent their savings back to the Old Country to avoid bank failures in the United States, returned from the USA to their hometown of Danzig. (After the First World War, Danzig, a/k/a Gdansk, had been designated a Free City under the protection of the League of Nations.) There, his grandfather had used the savings sent from America to buy a bakery for Bruno, a master pastry chef. In later years, Lenny often reminisced about the happy days of his early boyhood in Danzig, at the bakery and at his aunt and uncle's farm that he enjoyed so much. The family obviously failed to foresee they would lose their home and business due to the Nazi aggression of annexing the Free City, triggering the start of World War II in 1939. Eventually they became refugees fleeing West from the Soviets. With good fortune, they later were able to emigrate back to the USA and freedom away from socialist fascism and communism, forever confirming Lothar as a lifelong American patriot and defender of individual rights and liberties. Lothar then completed his high school education in the USA, having to overcome the severe difficulties of his later childhood, and complicated by his lifetime challenge - which he overcame successfully for 80 years - against severe hearing loss in one ear and deafness in the other caused by childhood Scarlet Fever. He courageously never let that handicap stand in the way of his goals. Despite the awkward challenges of hearing difficulties and a different language, he earned his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering at the University of Connecticut, completed his undergraduate studies at MIT, and went to work at Hamilton Standard in Windsor Locks. It was always a great point of pride in his life that there he worked on life support systems for the Apollo manned space and moon landing missions, as well as on the supersonic SR-71 Blackbird surveillance jet, while becoming a family man as the father of three children. Among other accolades, he and his team at Hamilton received special commendation from NASA for their role, with so many others, in the "Failure is Not an Option" scenario, working around the clock on solutions to the Apollo 13 disaster and bring our three astronauts home safely to Earth. To this day, his NASA letter of commendation is on display in a place of honor in his home. Always stressing the value of education, while working full time and supporting a family, he went on to earn his MBA at the University of Hartford. A Connecticut-certified professional engineer, he became an executive at and later retired as manager of engineering at Reflexite Corporation (now Orafol Americas), where he served for many years as the key man responsible for all engineering elements at this international manufacturer of reflective safety products. As Reflexite was an early adopter of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), he was also not only an employee and key man, he was also an owner, sharing proudly with its other employees in the company's growth and success. In addition to his family and home, as a technology man Lothar was a keen and early devotee of Texas Instrument calculators (graduating from a slide rule) and then home computers, beginning as early as 1980 with the VIC-20 and then Commodore 64, as well as model trains and miniature steam engines. Over the years he was a zealous photographer, a keen follower of the stock market, a sharp card player, an avid gardener with a large-yielding vegetable garden and a planter of trees, flowers, and shrubs, a voracious reader, an enthusiastic target shooter and reloader, a fan of bull riding and UConn sports, including women's basketball, a big part of the cheering section in the Manchester Road Race on Highland Street, a devoted dog owner, and a lover of good coffee, and German food and beer. He had over the years been affiliated with Zion Lutheran Evangelical Church, the Hartford Saengerbund, and the Mattabassett Rifle and Pistol Club.

He is survived by his partner and wife of four decades, Ginny; his children with his former wife, Doris, i.e., Richard and Heidi, Robert and Betty, Diane and Bret; and was a loving and true father to Ginny's daughters, Christine, Sharon, Sue, and Ginger. He leaves also his sister Karin, his brother-in-law George; nieces and nephews, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren who will miss his important role in their lives.

He will be remembered honestly as both at times stern and demanding, reflecting the difficulties of his later youth and a stout German and New England upbringing, and, as well, a smiling and jovial dad and granddad gratified by his family's many accomplishments. Having fulfilled the American dream, he left this world as a success, with his exceptional educational and professional achievements, and having planned ahead and providing for himself, his wife, and family through his later years. After a life in which he successfully overcame more than his share of handicaps, hardship, and heartbreak, his final challenges included the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease, against which he struggled with and for the dignity of an educated, credentialed, and intelligent man. He finally was taken by squamous cancer of the head (lesson to all: always find new doctors early, and get second opinions).

The family thanks his caregivers, esp. Lynn, for easing his final two years.

Donations in his memory may be made in his name to the Cure Alzheimer's Fund, Charity Navigator's most highly rated Alzheimer's research charity, and the American Cancer Society.

The family will conduct private arrangements. In his final earthly adventure, Lothar' ashes are planed to be scattered at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard. We will see him forever in the ocean's waves. Smooth sailing, Lenny.

Samsel and Carmon Funeral Home in South Windsor has care of the arrangements. To leave a condolence, please visit

www.carmonfuneralhome.com