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In Memory

Leon Edwin Wentz - Class Of 1955

LEON EDWIN WENTZ

DOB: 27 May 1937 Santa Clara, California

DOD: 28 February 2015

Residence: Menlo Park, California

 

Leon E. Wentz, 77, of Menlo Park, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on February 28 at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City.

A devoted husband, father and man of integrity, Leon had a terrific sense of humor, big heart and was extremely generous.

Born at Stanford Hospital the same day the Golden Gate Bridge opened, Leon grew up in Palo Alto and graduated from Palo Alto High in 1955. A standout four-sport athlete at Paly, Leon attended University of Colorado, Boulder on a football scholarship. After serving his country in the U.S. Navy he graduated from UCLA in 1960 with a degree in Business/Construction Management.

Leon married the late Jeanie Townley in 1960 and was married for 29 years until her passing in 1989. Leon married Cathy Salmon in 1990 and the two would have celebrated their 25th anniversary in November.

In a 55-year career as a commercial builder, Leon's passion for construction started at an early age and he worked at his craft until his passing. While in his 20's Leon's first big project was building a section of the California Aqueduct in Tracy in the 1960's. Leon started L.E. Wentz Company in 1974 and eventually became one of the biggest commercial builders on the West Coast with hundreds of notable projects that included the Opus One Winery in Oakdale and the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay.

In 1990, Leon founded the Jeanie A. Wentz Cancer Foundation at UCLA and established state-of-the-art research facilities at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. It was there that Dr. Dennis Slamon and his team made great strides in research and development of Herceptin, a widely used  breast cancer treatment for women with the Her2+ gene.

Leon was president of the UCLA Foundation for two years and donated endless hours to numerous philanthropic programs at UCLA, including Board of Visitors, Chancellors Associates, School of Medicine, and Arts and Architecture Visual Arts committee.

At the age of 46 Leon took up the game of golf. Whether it was with family, friends or by himself, he loved to play. In 1995 Leon set a goal to play Golf Magazine's World's Top 100 Courses. After eight years and countless miles around the globe, he completed his quest at age 65 by playing at Augusta National days after the 2003 Masters tournament. Leon wrote a book about his journey entitled, "Pebble Beach to Augusta".

Leon was always willing to learn and explore new challenges. In his 60's he attended evening classes studying Japanese and Chinese Mandarin. He was not fluent, but enjoyed speaking his new languages.

Leon's final weeks were spent in the loving care of doctors, nurses and family in the Intensive Care Unit at Sequoia Hospital. The Wentz family wishes to thank those at Sequoia for their care and comfort to Leon.

Leon was preceded in death by his beloved wife Jeanie, parents Mariette and Leon, and brother Robert.

Leon is survived by his beloved wife Cathy, sons Brad (Darci) and Craig, daughter Julie, grandchildren Taylor, Zack and Ryan, brother Richard (Carol), nephew Trent (Tami), niece Lynley (Rob) and several cousins.

A private service was held on March 5 at Alta Mesa Cemetery in Palo Alto.

Donations may be made to your favorite charity or to the "Z" Fund, in honor of Leon's grandson, Zack. The Reeve-Irvine Research Center (Z Fund for CST Research), Attn: Tania Jope, University of California-Irvine, 2107 Gillespie Bldg. Irvine, CA 92697-4292.

Published in San Francisco Chronicle on Mar. 15, 2015