Leonard John Umina

Leonard J. Umina passed away, Monday, December 20, 2021, after battling a short term illness, with his loving wife of 37 years, Vicki Umina, by his side. Leonard was the eldest son of the late Anthony Paul Umina and Julia Marie Umina (Quintilio). He was born in 1952 in Newton, MA, and grew up in Hopkinton, MA. He graduated summa cum laude with an electrical engineering degree in 1974 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Len’s passion for engineering began in his teenage years when he began building radios and became a ham radio operator (holding call signs-WA1IOB, W7CCE, K1LU, N1LU, WN1IOB, WT6G), being very involved in the amateur radio community both locally and worldwide from that point on. After starting a family, Len and Vicki moved to Marlborough, MA, to raise them there. Len had a great love for the outdoors and his family spent much of their time at their vacation home in northern Vermont. Len was a former candidate for the office of Governor of Massachusetts, running against Bill Weld and John Silber, in 1990. Len’s passion for justice, exposing corruption, and being on the forefront of trying to bring high tech to our state government was the premise behind his decision to run for office. In 1998, Umina again ran for office, setting his goal as representing the Commonwealth by running for a Massachusetts State Representative position. While it was a very close election and he had the support of so many in his community, in the end holding a political office was not in the cards for him.

Len’s hard work and brilliant mind earned him multiple US patents throughout the years and his big personality and drive to always seek and stand up for the truth earned him the admiration and respect of all that knew him. Len held several executive level positions in his field and retired at the age of 43, moving to El Dorado Hills, California to be closer to Vicki’s side of the family. There he became very involved in the local Ham Radio clubs and the volunteer emergency response community. Len enjoyed hiking the beautiful California forests with Vicki and could always be counted on to keep his friends and family laughing with his adventurous stories and fun personality. They traveled often to explore many different places and made so many wonderful memories.

Later in life, Len and his wife relocated to Gilbert, AZ to spend more time with their family. He loved taking Vicki out for dates or exploring the beauty of Arizona with her (especially Sedona which was a special place for them). He enjoyed lots of family barbecues and pool parties at their home, and attending as many family dinners, holiday celebrations, or fun activities with his grandbabies as possible. He was an amazing and dedicated Grandfather, who always kept them laughing with his silly antics, telling them how proud he was of them, or teaching them something new. Of course, Len loved any chance to discuss politics, current events, ham radio, and debate on why he was pretty much right about everything (which he usually was!) with anyone lucky enough to spend time with him. He was very close with all of his children and made countless special memories with them through the years. He would do anything for his family. Above all, Len loved and adored his wife, Vicki, and never missed a chance to talk about how beautiful, loving, and amazing she is. Leonard spent his final years enjoying time with his wife, children, and many grandchildren, who will all miss him terribly.

In addition to his wife Vicki, Len leaves behind 6 children: Amy Umina of Woodstock, CT, Laura McNeil of Lonoke, AR, Suzanne Umina of Folsom, CA, Kristina Wojciechowski of Gilbert, AZ, Anthony Umina of Scottsdale, AZ, and David Umina of Mather, CA.

He is also survived by 9 grandchildren: Zachary Robinson, Isabella Robinson, Kaylee Carlson, Dylan Carlson, AJ Carlson, Ethan McNeil, Hunter Wojciechowski, Claire Wojciechowski, and Jackson Umina. He also leaves behind a sister, Kathryn Snyder, of Port St Lucie, FL.