Leonard Paul Silvia of Westport entered into eternal rest on April 12 ^th after a long and valiant battle with cancer.  He was the husband of June (Furman) Silvia and they would have been married 44 years on April 15 ^th.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son Justin Leonard, his daughter-in law Kerry and his precious grandchildren - Desmond Thomas, Suzanna Aileen, and Zachary Leonard.  Also surviving him are his brother Philip (wife – Geraldine), sisters Susan Woltman (husband – Lee), Carol Silvia (husband – Tom Donnelly), Minty Farrissey (husband – John) and brother John (wife – Margaret), many nieces nephews and cousins, and his beloved rescue dog Penny.

Len was a graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School and U-Mass Amherst.  He served his country with distinction in the army during the Vietnam W ar.  He was proud to be a veteran and belonged to a number of veteran organizations.

He taught at Bristol County Agricultural High School and later worked at the Department of Social Services.  He concluded his career after working for 25 years at the U.S. Postal Service in New Bedford.

An avid runner for most of his life, Lenny ran 45 marathons and enjoyed participating in numerous local road races.   He completed 26 consecutive Boston Marathons, posting a personal best time of 2:42:48 in 1986.  In 2002 a near-fatal car accident ended Len's long and successful running career.  When he could no longer run Boston, he continued as an on-course race volunteer.

Lenny was a huge sports fanatic.  He played many sports and coached multiple youth sports teams. But he was best known as a long-time, faithful fan of the Cleveland Browns.

Len was on the board of directors at the Boys and Girls Club of Fall River and was a member of the Senior Division for all his adult life.  He also was a member of the Fall River Elks Club and participated in their golf league.  The simple things in life gave Lenny pleasure – spending time with his family and friends, reading books, watching movies, enjoying a day at the beach, doing crossword puzzles and going for long walks.

Following cremation, His Funeral Mass was celebrated on Friday, April 20th, in Our Lady of Grace Church, Westport.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Lenny's memory to the Boys and Girls Club, 803 Bedford St., Fall River, MA 02723.