Richard William Lenert

Richard William Lenert of Springfield, VA died peacefully, at age 90, with loved ones by his side, on May 6th, 2025. "Dick", as he was known to all, was born September 13, 1934, in Aurora, Illinois, to Gladys and Harry "Duke" Lenert. He was the youngest of three boys.
Dick grew up in the last house at the end of a quaint avenue. He was active in youth sports, excelled in school and maintained a paper route for most of his adolescent years.
In 1952, he graduated from Marmion Academy and was invited to attend Fournier Institute of Technology, in Lemont, Illinois, 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Fournier was founded on the belief that "young men with the right talents and motivations should be able to receive an excellent education without financial concerns".
The "Fournierites" were Christian leaders of industry and business, with an emphasis in the field of electrical engineering. Dick served as class vice-president in his sophomore and junior years, and played varsity basketball as a freshman through his junior season, when he famously made 27 of 27 free-throws in one game and scored 63 points in another.
Fournier ceased operations after Dick's junior year, but paid the balance of its students' undergraduate studies and afforded them their choice of entry to select Midwest universities. Dick chose Notre Dame and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, in 1957.
After college, Dick accepted a job with Melpar, Inc. in Falls Church, VA and in 1960, married the love of his life, Marjean Louise Whitson, a grammar school classmate who grew up a mere three blocks from his childhood home.
In 1961 Dick and Marjean welcomed Jeff, the first of four children. Dick stayed on at Melpar as a design engineer/senior engineer working on special purpose receiver communications programs. In the fall of 1961, the family of three moved to Hof, Germany for an 18-month assignment. In 1964, shortly after returning to the states, a second son, Keith, was born. In 1967, the now family of four settled in Annandale, VA, just in time for the birth of Laura, and in 1968, the birth of Mark completed the family. The Lenert family established itself as one of the founders of Wakefield Parish where Dick and Marjean would live for 52 years. Dick continued to work for Melpar, through its acquisition by E-Systems in 1971. In 1994 Dick retired from E-Systems after 37 years and spent two years as a consultant.
Faith, family and fellowship were cornerstones of Dick's life. He and Marjean practiced their faith openly, in several different churches over the years. They read the Bible from cover to cover, traveled to Jerusalem, served eight years on a parish leadership team, tuned in to "Focus on the Family" radio for years, and were active members of Bible study groups until the time of his death.
He was ebullient with family or in small groups, where dialogue, storytelling and humor were served up, with joy and a measure of intimacy. Dick nurtured lasting friendships with those from the Annandale cul-de-sac where he and Marjean raised their family, as well as former colleagues, fellow students of the Bible, and their neighbors at Greenspring.
Always generous with his time, talent, and wisdom, Dick would routinely troubleshoot cars or appliances, answer financial or tax questions, counsel on employment matters, and care for friends and grandchildren. He saw the best in people; his interest and concern were authentic. Upon each "farewell," Dick left people more informed, less anxious, and genuinely cared for. His devotion to Marjean was never more evident than in his latter stages, as he administered her dialysis each day for 20 months.
Dick was interested in history, theater, music, bridge and poker and had an unabashed love of sports. He was a lifelong Yankees fan and a proud Notre Dame alumnus. No matter the activity or game, he was good natured, keenly engaged and sharp as a whip. His personality was quiet, yet infectious. He loved telling and re-telling corny jokes, and reveled in time spent with family, throughout all the trips, reunions, holidays, activities, games and events that were meaningful to those he loved most.
Dick Lenert is predeceased by twin brothers: Harry "Buddy," died at age two, before Dick was born; Robert "Bob," died in 1989. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Marjean, of Springfield; son Jeffrey (Joanne) of Dunn Loring, VA; son Keith (Dawn) of Falls Church, VA; daughter Laura of Raleigh, NC; son Mark (Ida) of Tarrytown, NY; grandchildren Alison, Brian, Matthew, Derek, Liam, Linnea, and Isabella; and many in-laws, nieces and nephews. He will be missed.
A viewing (10:00am) and memorial service (11:00am) will be held on May 29th, 2025, at The Village Church at Greenspring located at 7420 Spring Village Drive, Springfield, VA 22150. Graveside burial will be held at Fairfax Memorial Park at 1:00pm, located at 9900 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA 22032. A reception will immediately follow in the Mason Room of the Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation (https://www.kidney.org), The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research | Parkinson's Disease (https://www.michaeljfox.org)