Leonard H. Lautenberger, Jr.

*** CLICK HERE to view the live stream of Len's Service***

West Lebanon, NH- Leonard H. Lautenberger, Jr., 86, passed on Sunday, March 22, 2026, at the Grafton County Nursing Home in North Haverhill, NH. Len’s presence brought joy to so many, and he will be profoundly missed by his loving family and friends. Len was an only child, born on December 29, 1939, to Leonard H. and Grace M. (Roy) Lautenberger in Teaneck, NJ. Len became an Eagle Scout at a young age and very proud of his accomplishments that led to him achieving that honor. He was recognized for his impressive cars, especially his '64 GTO, and for his passion for car racing—which occasionally led to "trouble" when he sped off track and obtained a “few” speeding tickets. His father was a World War II Veteran, and photographer for CBS News. As a young man, Len found the camera fascinating; it became a lifelong passion. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the US Navy and his camera skills were put to use at the US Naval Photographic Center in Washington, DC. During the duration of his service, he photographed then President John F. Kennedy and events around President Kennedy’s funeral. He served from 1961-1965. He attained rank of photographer’s mate E6.

He and Lucy (Luz) M. Cordero married in Dumont, NJ on April 1, 1978, and lived in West Milford, NJ for 45 years. Len had many good friends in West Milford, NJ. To name a few, Keith, Elias and the Hansen family, Dale MacNeill, and Sebastian Zborowski were special to him. Len was always ready to give a helping hand to his friends and neighbors. He would be out snow blowing his extremely steep driveway and then asking his friends if they needed help with theirs. Sometimes even doing so without asking and surprising them when they got home that the snow was all cleaned up! He had his old sleds, and his children would go sledding on the hills of their backyard that eventually went down that steep driveway. Lucy loved playing in the snow with the kids, making snowmen, and nearly sledding into a street pole or mailbox a time or two. Yes, we got that on video camera since he LOVED recording almost every holiday and most ALL family events with the video camera. He enjoyed riding his custom painted purple Harley Davidson. He would drive his daughter (Denise) to work as a teen to her lifeguarding duty with his bike. He enjoyed teaching his son (Richard) how to ride a motorcycle. They had many memories of times on their bikes. He enjoyed the long and winding roads of West Milford.

Len and Lucy loved vacationing with their children in Myrtle Beach, SC. He loved to run and jump in the ocean saying, “I’m going to be a marine!” After a good sunburn, he would call himself “Larry the Lobster.” He enjoyed building sandcastles with his children at the beach while Lucy would be enjoying their company and taking pictures with Len. While in the ocean, he would float on his back as the gentle waves kept him moving on the surface of the water.

Another one of Len’s hobbies was target shooting. He was competitive target shooter and placed high in many competitions. He taught his son (Richard) and daughter (Denise) how to safely handle and shoot at the West Milford, shooting range. He had many friends he enjoyed teaching firearm safety to and being at range with them. While shooting was a favorite pastime, he didn’t hunt much after childhood. He later became an investigator with the SPCA for many years while also working full time as a motion picture film salesman covering a lot of territory for Agfa. Len’s gift of gab made him a natural salesman. Annually, he and Lucy attended gatherings around the world with those in the motion picture business, and there too, among the directors, producers, and actors he felt right at home, gabbing away.

Len is survived by his wife Lucy Lautenberger of West Lebanon, NH; two children Richard Lautenberger and wife Miriam of Centreville, VA and Denise Peters and husband Charles of East Thetford, VT; three grandchildren Christian, Alexander, and Benjamin; other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, one son Steven M. Lautenberger, and many beloved canine family members, including his childhood dog Pepe, his last dog Nikki, and two poodles who were close to his heart Benji and Toto.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, April 2, 2026, from 2pm until time of service at 3pm at Knight Funeral Home, White River Junction, VT. A burial will be held at the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery later in May or June. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are invited to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Bergen County S.P.C.A.