Leonard J. Reinhart

Leonard Julius Reinhart, 93, retired Captain in the US Navy , passed away after a brief illness, in Delray Beach, Florida on October 11, 2015. Born January 21,1922, in Wausau Wisconsin to parents Edward Reinhart and Leona Schultz Reinhart. He was predeceased by his wife of 59 years, Frances Townsend Reinhart in 2004, and children Bruce Lee Reinhart (1957) and Linda Dian Reinhart (1948 - 1968). His brother Don recently passed away in California in May this year. He is survived by his son Leonard Ross Reinhart and wife Suzette and his Grand Daughter, Amanda Jean of Melbourne Beach along with his daughter Nancy Reinhart Davila and her husband Michael residing in Delray Beach. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. Leonard lived his 'dream'. As a teenager he took a great interest in airplanes and spent time at the local airport listening to pilots and mechanics. After watching a fighter plane land, he decided he wanted to become a aeronautical engineer, join the navy and be a Test Pilot. And that's what he did. While attending Parks Air College he received his private pilot license and was accepted to the Navy V-5 aviation cadet training. After completing his degree he began active duty in the Navy in 1943 and received his Commission as Ensign in 1944. Len met his future wife Frances during operational training in Jacksonville. They saw each other constantly and were married in April 1945, before he received his next duty assignment. After completing his first tour in a typhoon reconnaissance squadron in the Philippines, he received assignment to Princeton University for post graduate school on jet propulsion and received his Masters in 1953. He later requested to go to Test Pilot school and spent the next three years in the Naval Air Test Center in Patuxent River, Maryland, testing many airplanes, some of which were first flights of navy aircraft. Following a year at the Navy War College in Newport, Rhode Island, he received orders to join a Heavy Attack squadron and set up a training program for the A5A. As commanding officer of the squadron he spent 3 tours of duty on the USS Independence, an aircraft carrier in the 6th Fleet. Leonard made 250 carrier landings, 50 at night. While the family remained in the U.S. during his deployments, his next duty was Nuclear Weapons Warfare Officer in the 6th Fleet (Mediterranean). The family moved to Villefranche , France for three years, returning to Patuxent River in 1966 for his final tour of duty as Director of Weapons Systems Test. Len was a member of several organizations: Military Officers Association, Society of Experimental Test Pilots, The Association of Naval Aviation, The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, Associate Emeritus Member of Sigma Xi, and the Princeton Graduate Alumni. He retired from the Navy in August 1969 and moved to Winter Park, Florida where he worked for an engineering consulting firm, until 1985 when he retired for good. He played a lot of tennis, helped Fran with their beautiful yard, took classes using the Apple computer and amazed us with his graphic arts. After his wife's death he moved to the Abbey Delray South, where he lived independently for 11 years. Although his life at the Abbey Delray South wasn't quite as exciting, he met many new friends and in particular cared deeply for his new dance partner, Ruth Ziff, who passed away last May. He loved music, tennis, golf and reading the latest combat spy novel. A memorial service will be held in the Hospitality Room at the Abbey Delray South, 1717 Homewood Boulevard, on Friday October 23 rd at 10:00 am. Interment will be at Arlington Nation Cemetery, sometime after the first of the year, date to be determined. The Family would like to thank the staff at Abbey Delray South for making the Abbey such a wonderful place for him to live and also extend our thanks to the Trustbridge Hospice of the Palm Beaches for providing us with peace and Dad with comfort. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The United States Navy Memorial, on line at shipsstore.navymemorial.org., or the charity of your choice.