Leonard O. Greninger

1941 - 2023

Leonard O. Greninger

Leonard Oliver Greninger, age 82, of Sylvania, Ohio, passed away Thursday, October 5, 2023, at Flower Hospital. He suffered from Covid-pneumonia.

Leonard was born in Carthage, Missouri, on July 31, 1941, to Oliver C. and Leona Greninger. He was the last child and only boy of ten children. Needless to say, his sisters doted over him. His early years were spent living on a farm, where he enjoyed his various farm dogs and worked with cows, pigs, and chickens. He once had a cow who injured her back. He put her in a sling and tried to nurse her back to health. She did not make it, but this incident gave him his first experience of helping others with injuries.

In Carthage High School, Leonard played football and ran track. That is where he met his future wife, Patricia McGaughey. He continued to play football at Joplin Junior College for 2 years. But this ended when he injured his back at age 20, and he had to undergo spinal fusion surgery. This furthered his desire to help those with injuries or physical disabilities.

In 1962, he married Patricia McGaughey and they moved to Springfield, Missouri, where they attended Southwest Missouri State University, graduating in 1966. They then moved to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois where Leonard had a teaching assistantship at the University of Illinois. They were there for 8 years where Leonard earned his master's degree, then PhD in Exercise Therapy Methods. He spent many hours at the clinic on campus treating patients through exercise therapy. Leonard and Patricia moved to Sylvania, Ohio in 1974 after Leonard was hired to teach at the University of Toledo. He taught there for 30 years as professor of Exercise Therapy and Anatomy, and he also started an Exercise Therapy Clinic on campus.

In 1986, Leonard developed and opened Central Park West Rehabilitation Center on West Central Avenue near McCord Road in Toledo. It was unique in that, along with land therapy, it had a warm pool designed for walking and exercising against the pressure of the water.

During his lifetime he and Patricia traveled in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Nepal and Thailand (where 3 of their granddaughters were born). Leonard was very handy at carpentry, building their backyard fence, a front porch, and 2 rooms in the basement, etc.

Leonard is survived by his wife, Patricia. They were married over 61 years. Also surviving are a daughter, Tracy (Leonard) Jones; her sons, Anthony and Zachary; a son, Todd; a son, David (Christy); his children, Nima, Gwen, Maya and Levi; son, Luke; 3 older sisters, Treva Morgan Fletcher, JoAnn Howell, and Bessie (Riggs) Strodtman, all of Missouri. Leonard was preceded in death by his sisters, Helen Holdeman DeLapp and Eva Dene Pool Simonson Dunn.

Funeral Services will be Saturday, October 21, at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 5240 Talmadge Road, Toledo, Ohio. Services will begin at 2:00 p.m. with viewing prior at 1:15 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St Matthew's in memory of Leonard, who was very active in the church there for 48 years. Online condolences to

www.reebfuneralhome.com