Frank F. Lenhardt Obituary (1936

Frank Lenhardt passed peacefully on November 23, 2024 at the age of 88. He was born on January 27, 1936 in Chili, NY to Lawrence and Esther (Ebertz) Lenhardt. Esther passed away when Frank was very young, and Lawrence re-married to Ruth (Bannister) Lenhardt. Ruth raised Frank and his sister, Carol as her own children for the rest of her life. Frank was a devoted family man, an entrepreneur, an engineer, a master craftsman, an avid outdoorsman, a veteran, and an all-around great guy. Frank grew up in Chili, NY and graduated from West high school in 1953. He attended the University of Rochester for Mechanical Engineering for two years before joining his father as an apprentice in his tool and die business. Frank was drafted in to the Army in 1958 and served as a radio repairman. He was discharged in 1960 and re-joined his father's business In 1963, Frank met Joan Torpey through some mutual friends. They dated for two years and were married in October 1965. Frank had recently bought in to the family business so he and Joan had to pool their resources to purchase their house in Clifton. What they thought would be their starter home became their residence for the next 59 years. You can see Frank's craftsmanship throughout the home and the property. In 1972, Frank's father, Lawrence, died suddenly leaving him as the sole proprietor of the business. By this time, the business was a thriving injection molding company in addition to tool and die work. Frank found time to run a successful business and raise his family through the 70's and 80's. In the early 90's, Frank sold the business and went to work for Amplaco which was a local injection molding company. He worked for them for the next 10 years and then retired. In his retirement, his creativity and craftsmanship flourished. He worked on multiple projects for himself and his friends. He travelled the world with his family and enjoyed numerous fishing trips with his family and friends. Frank was loved and respected by everyone who knew him. He was kind, helpful, funny, supportive, and dedicated. If you wanted to do something and you didn't know how, you went to see Frank. He had a way of analyzing things and figuring out just how to do it. When you worked with him, you always had a comfortable feeling that the project would be a success because there was nothing that he could not figure out. We will all miss Frank. His welcoming demeanor and positive attitude would always light up a room. At any gathering, Frank was always engaged in conversation because people sought him out to see what he was up to. The first question was always "Whaddya working on these days, Frank?" There was always an interesting and impressive response. Frank is survived by his wife, Joan, his son, Joe (Cherry), his daughter, Mary (Al Pratt), grandsons, Ian and Nicholas Lenhardt, cousin Ray Potter, and several nieces and nephews. Friends and family are invited to call on Friday December 13 from 4-7 p.m. at J.H. Cameron Funeral Home, 26 Rochester St. Scottsville. His Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday December 14 at 10am at St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 99 Main St., Scottsville. Interment Holy Angels Cemetery, Scottsville. Frank will be interred in a wood Journeyman's tool chest befitting his years as a master toolmaker. Friends and family are invited to bring small tools, fishing lures, or other items that have a connection with Frank and they will be placed in the drawers of the tool chest. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Patrick Place, 2006 Scottsville-Chili Rd., Scottsville, NY 14546 or the, National Kidney Foundation 1344 University Av., # 270, Rochester, NY 14607 in memory of Frank.