Leonard Laurich

Leonard Thomas Laurich, 95, of The Fountains in Indiana, formerly of Glenn Avenue, Jeannette, died Tuesday, July 6, at Indiana Regional Medical Center. He was born April 1, 1926, in Collinsburg, or “Dutchtown,” outside of West Newton, PA, the son of the late Thomas Laurich and Freeda Glaser Laurich. Before he graduated from West Newton High School in 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He completed basic training in Shepherdsville, Texas, and radio school training in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and at Scott Field in Illinois. In 1945 he was assigned to the U.S. Air Force Base in Wiesbaden, Germany, where he worked in Air Corps Supply and played for the base’s baseball team.  He was discharged in 1946 as a Corporal and entered Kent State University, where he earned a B.A. in Fine Arts in 1951. He began working for the West Penn Power Company in 1952 in the display department, became a graphic artist, and retired in 1991 as Art Director. He also completed art courses at Carnegie Tech. Len’s gentle kindness and artistic talents were gifts that he shared generously. His watercolor paintings show what he loved outdoors: trees, barns, a rain barrel, rocks, or a covered bridge. His many art projects included a commission to design the first postage stamps for the country of Bhutan. He enjoyed the porch swing, friends, Andrew Wyeth paintings, dogs, deer, martinis, earth tones, British comedies, sardines, and the Golf Channel. He hated haircuts. He was a member of the Greensburg Art Club, a Meals-on-Wheels volunteer, an avid (frustrated) golfer, and a Mass attendee at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg. He is predeceased by his wife Alice Schlenke Laurich, whom he married in 1959. He is survived by his three children and their spouses:  Lisa (Laurich) and William Donovan of Pittsburgh; Lonie (Laurich) and Todd Brice of Indiana, PA; and Brian and Christine Laurich of Woodsboro, MD. He is survived by six granddaughters: Katherine Brice Allen (Daniel), Amalie Laurich Storms (Joel), Kristin Brice, Anne Donovan, Hannah Laurich McIntyre (Mike), and Claire Donovan. He is also survived by his great grandsons Heidler Storms and Niles Allen. In addition, he is survived by his brother-in-law Carl Schlenke and sister-in-law Carole Schlenke. The family will receive friends on Thursday, July 8th, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the KEPPLE-GRAFT FUNERAL HOME, 524 North Main Street, Greensburg. A blessing service will be held on Friday, July 9th at 9 a.m. in the funeral home followed by a Funeral Mass to be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg. Interment will be in St. Clair Cemetery, Hempfield Township. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Greensburg Art Center, 230 Todd School Road, Greensburg, PA, 15601. Please note the donation is in memory of Len Laurich.
For online condolences and information, please visit www.kepplegraft.com.