Obituary of Leonard Lawrence Etcho

Leonard Etcho, LtCol USMC (RET), passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving family after a courageous battle with lung cancer. Lenny was a very humble man. He was born in the Pennsylvania coal mining region on November 16, 1936. Upon graduating from high school, Lenny attended the United States Naval Academy. While at the Naval Academy, he received the 1959 Sexton Memorial Trophy which is presented to the lightweight football player voted by his teammates as most outstanding in character, leadership and sportsmanship. Lenny graduated from the Naval Academy in 1959 and began his military service in the Marine Corp. His service included two tours of duty in Vietnam as an Intelligence Specialist where he received numerous medals and citations. Lenny retired from the Marine Corp after 20 years of service. His curiosity about the world around him continued to ignite his passion for travel. Lenny spent 15-years post retirement working for Hughes Aircraft in Seoul, South Korea. Lenny was quite the conversationalist. He loved telling jokes and discussing current events. He was an avid reader and especially enjoyed the NY Daily News and the NY Post, rising early every morning to ensure he received one of the limited number of papers available in the Reston area. Lenny passed on his sense of humor, love for history and interest in current events to his grandchildren. Lenny was very proud of his family, and loved to boast about their accomplishments. He was generous with his kindness not only with his family, but to everyone he met in his everyday travels. His circle of friends was diverse and he never met a stranger. He especially enjoyed marching music, teaching his family his own personal lyrics of songs and watching the Philadelphia Eagles play. Lenny was loved and will be missed by many. He leaves behind a legacy of love, honesty, integrity and service to not only his country, but to others. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Fisher House Organization, www.teamfisherhouse.com/goto/etcho.