Leonard John Vetrone

Leonard “Len” Vetrone, age 95, passed away peacefully on June 27, 2024 at his home in Apex, North Carolina. He was born in Erie, Pennsylvania on October 6, 1928, the son of the late Urban and Mary (Lewis) Vetrone.

Len is survived by his wife, Joan Vetrone and his five children: Paul Vetrone (Toni), Len Vetrone (Sue), Rick Vetrone (Mari), Mary Compton (Chris) and Barb Moore (Peter). He has multiple beloved grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A longtime resident of Erie, he attended Emerson-Gridley grade school and graduated from Academy High School. Len enlisted in the Marines during the Korean War in 1950. After serving at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, he returned to Erie to pursue his college degree in Mechanical Engineering (ME) from Gannon College and immediately earned his master’s degree in ME from Penn State University. In the meantime, he met the love of his life Joan (Bednarowicz) Vetrone while driving a bus part time. They were soon married on May 15, 1954 and began 70 + years of a wonderful life together.

He then embarked on a 17-year journey as a Mechanical Engineering Professor at Gannon College. Len was very involved in coaching football and basketball at Sacred Heart where his children attended school. He loved coaching and to this day has former players that recognize him for his early positive influence on their lives.

In 1974, he decided to leave teaching and move the family to Peoria, Illinois. He started a new career as a research engineer for Caterpillar Tractor Company. All the while, Joan and Len were building their family of 5 children in new surroundings. Len was always an outdoorsman and loved sports and exercising. In 1978, they relocated to Nashotah, Wisconsin and Len finished an esteemed career with GE Medical Systems in 1994.

Len will be remembered for his relentless pursuit of excellence first as a triathlete and then as a premier senior cross-country skier. As the scientist that he was, Len enjoyed the process of perfecting the techniques involved in inline skating, skiing and fly fishing, not the results. In retirement, they moved further North to a rural home in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. Joan and Len could be seen hiking, skiing, canoeing and bird watching along the trails near their home in the Northwoods.

Throughout all these years, Len’s primary love was his wife and extended family. He was a humble and loving man to all that he met through life’s journey. “Foxy” as he was known to his closest friends was generally a reserved man, but if you got him talking about fly fishing or skiing, then hopefully you had time on your hands. His love of music, especially songs by Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, John Denver, Kenny Rogers and the Eagles were windows into the beautiful life he and Joan lived together.

Services will not be held at this time, but friends of the family are welcome to reach out to express your condolences. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America at www.alzfdn.org.

Fond memories and expressions of love may be put with the "Add a memory" button below.