Leonard Drorbaugh of Essex died peacefully in his sleep on June 7,
2011. He and his wife Terry had just returned from Bermuda where
they celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary. It was a
lifetime dream to return to the island where he spent a memorable
summer with his father and brother.
Born on November 6, 1929 in Bronxville NY, Len was the beloved
youngest son of Wells and Katharine (Colt) Drorbaugh. He graduated
from Deerfield Academy where he was a football and lacrosse star and
excelled in English literature. Also, at Deerfield, while working
in a garden supporting WWII, he realized how much he loved the land
and all of God’s bounty. Len attended Princeton University and
graduated from Hobart and Cornell with a degree in dairy husbandry
and agricultural engineering. On December 31, 1950, Len married his
love since kindergarten, Terry Dunn and they settled in Quakertown,
Pennsylvania on Windsong Farm. For 10 years, Len rejoiced in the
land and his Holstein dairy farm in Bucks County. He would still be
there today except the land was taken by eminent domain. Len had a
deep faith that sustained him through the tragedy of his oldest
daughter’s car accident and only son’s death. He was known among
family and friends for his amazing memory, love of literature,
homemade cards and cartoons, deep faith, love of land and off beat
sense of humor. In addition to his wife he is survived by three
daughters and sons in law Barbara and Peter Hammer, Mary and Tom
Werner and Holly and Ken Riehl and six grandchildren, Cooper and
Nate Riehl, Jacob and Lizey Hammer and Jenny and Scott Drorbaugh.
Len was predeceased by his daughter Terry Ellen Drorbaugh and son
Scott Drorbaugh.
A
Celebration of Len’s life will be held on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at
11:00 AM, at the First Congregational Church of Essex, 39 Main
Street, Essex, MA 01929. Family and friends are respectfully
welcomed. Arrangements by the Whittier-Porter Funeral Home of
Ipswich.
In lieu of flowers
memorial contributions in his name may be made to Meals on Wheels,
c/o Senior
Care Nutrition Program, 5 Blackburn Center, Gloucester, MA 01930.
