Harold Adams Leinbach

Abe was a man of honor who will be remembered for all he loved and by all who loved him.

As a kid growing up in rural Pennsylvania he was responsible for keeping the family’s hedge trimmed but sports and music were his passion. First, it was baseball, but soon his interest moved to tennis and golf. Throughout his life he was always trying to improve his game. Music was forever a major part of his persona. He grew up in a musical family and loved singing in the choir as a young boy, as a member of the Penn State Glee Club and throughout his adult life. He retired from the Plymouth Congregational Church Choir in Lansing only when his loss of vision made it impossible for him to read the music. With his sight gone, his focus turned to Talking Books which he enjoyed for the remainder of his life.

When World War II came along Abe enlisted in the Army Air Corps, becoming a proud C-47 pilot in the Air Transport Command Service stationed in North Africa and Italy. Thanks to the GI Bill he enrolled in Penn State University. He thought his major was “extracurricular activities” and so he pursued all with dedication. He was president of both the Intra-Fraternity Council and Thespians, and was selected to be a member of the Lions Paw, a group of 12 who represented undergraduate issues and worked closely with the university administration.

Upon graduation from Penn State he was hired by The Aetna Insurance Company and so began his 34-year sales career, followed by 10 years as a consultant. He began as a home office representative and soon moved to senior account executive. It was his work with The Aetna that brought Abe and his family to Michigan, first to Saginaw and ultimately to East Lansing, which was his home for 47 years and where he was active in many community organizations.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years Jane (Ashenfelter); four sons, all of whom achieved Eagle Scout: Kenneth (Marian) of Boston, MA; Richard (Irma) of Rochester, MI; Philip (Tamra) of Maumee, OH; and Owen (Karna) of Seattle, WA; 11 grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, October 28 at 3:30 p.m. at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 1315 Abbot Road, East Lansing. Abe’s ashes will be interred at the Mennonite Church cemetery in Yerkes, Pennsylvania at a later date.

In life, Abe was generous. He made a legacy contribution to the music program at the Community United Church of Christ in his hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania and an endowment gift to the Penn State Smeal College of Business program on ethics and integrity.

Friends wishing to do so can make a contribution in Abe’s memory to Talking Books, P.O. Box 11927, Lansing, MI 48901.

The family is served by Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home in East Lansing.