Leonard Lacroix

Leonard LaCroix (Len), “rocket scientist” of Tarpon Springs Florida, beloved husband of Lynne quietly passed away on January 1, 2020, at the age of 74 after overcoming recent medical obstacles and three serious surgeries.  He worked hard to get back to his fit self, but unfortunately his body just wouldn’t cooperate.  Len was born and raised in the Western area of Massachusetts through high school.  He was active in sports and very intelligent winning prestigious honors and recognition.  A great student and interested in science, he won a scholarship to Rensselaer Polytech Institute (RPI) where he achieved his PHD in mechanical engineering.  He served in the Navy and was honorably discharged.  Len initially worked for GE in upstate New York and then moved to California when he was hired by Lockheed Martin. He had a very successful career in defense missile technology. He strongly contributed to the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) program that is in use today.  After several years on that project, he headed and developed an area of expertise known as SBIR, Small Business Innovative Research that worked with businesses interested in partnering with Lockheed Martin. He worked for Lockheed Martin for 45 years, mostly in Sunnyvale, California where he raised his family and then later In Huntsville, AL. During that period, he was responsible for contributing and inventing new technologies and received a team patent.  Once retired, he and his wife Lynne moved to Tarpon Springs, Florida to fulfill a dream of living near the beach. They found a “fixer upper” located near a beautiful park and close to the Gulf of Mexico.  Always handy, Len put his talents to work by rebuilding the entire house.  His craftsmanship was flawless.  Their teamwork of Lynne’s creative design and his skills made their house beautiful. Len had unique hobbies including raising exotic plants from seed. One such houseplant became an enormous banyan tree that is taking over their backyard.  Len enjoyed running for most of his adult life but slowed down to just enjoy playing golf with Lynne and his buddies.  Len is survived by his wife Lynne (Phillips) Lacroix, daughters Nicole Lacroix Gross, son-in-law Dan Gross, daughter Allison Lacroix Denson, son-in-law Charles Denson, Lynne’s children Halle (Mazur) Renzulli, son-in-law Lance Renzulli, two grandchildren Alex and Mackenzie Renzulli, and Lynne’s son, Darren Mazur.  A Celebration of Len’s life will be announced at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations made on his behalf to benefit good charities of their choice.

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