Leonard J. Vender, 78, died April 15, 2026 in hospice at Juniper Brookline in State College after long struggles with Parkinson’s and leukemia.
Len was born October 11, 1947 in Taylor, PA and grew up in Duryea. He was the middle son of Anna Moskaitis Vender, a garment factory worker, and Ross Anthony Vender, a coal miner and construction worker. He met Beverly Ann Leppert in a summer typing class at Northeast High School; he didn’t finish the class (she did), but he did find his life-partner. They married while Len was studying elementary education at Mansfield State College and Bev was a nursing student at Pittston Hospital. Len started teaching fourth and fifth grades at Grove Street Elementary in 1969, the same year daughter Jodi was born. The family moved from Duryea to Clarks Summit, and Len earned a master’s degree in education. When Abington Heights opened a new middle school in 1975, he became its assistant principal, then took the helm as principal of Newton-Ransom and Waverly elementary schools. He then moved into central administration, first as director of personnel and later as assistant superintendent. Len and Bev relocated to the Philly area in 1993 when Len joined the administration of Haverford Township School District. He retired as superintendent a decade later–missing his own farewell at the office because he was attending the birth of his first grandchild. Len and Bev moved to State College in 2005; they split time between State College and Hilton Head, SC and later The Villages, FL, returning permanently to State College in 2024. They enjoyed golf, travel, and spending time with family and friends.
In addition to a B.S. in elementary education from Mansfield State College (now part of Commonwealth University), Len earned a Master of Education from East Stroudsburg State College (now East Stroudsburg University) in 1973 and completed postgraduate work (letter of superintendancy) at Lehigh University from 1974-1978. He earned a Doctor of Education degree in educational administration from Penn State University in 1990.
Len served as a staff development consultant to the Pennsylvania Department Education and school districts and intermediate units in Pennsylvania, New York, and Rhode Island. He was a member of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and Phi Delta Kappa (now PDK International) and held leadership roles with the Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (PASCD; now PA EDGE).
While in northeast PA, Len participated in Leadership Lackawanna through the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. He was an active member of St. Gregory’s Parish (Clarks Green), served on the board of directors of the Abington Community Library (Clarks Summit), and was a member of Glen Oak Country Club.
In State College, Len was a member of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, and the Elks/Mountain View Country Club. He volunteered in the community with the St. Vincent DePaul Society.
In addition to his parents, Len was predeceased by his brothers, Joseph and Raymond Vender, and nephew Ross Vender. He is survived by wife, Beverly, daughter Jodi Vender and son-in-law Jay Searles, grandchildren Caroline Vender Vancura and Nicholas Vender Searles, as well as nephews Christopher (Sanelia) Vender and Raymond (Frances) Vender and their children.
A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, State College, at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 7 with gathering at 9:00 a.m.
Memorial contributions would be welcome to the Leonard J. & Beverly Vender Fund at Centre Foundation (www.centrefoundation.org) which benefits Centre Safe, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Schlow Centre Region Library, State College Food Bank, YMCA of Centre County Anti-Hunger Programs, and WPSU.