- Date Of Birth: October 20, 1928
- Date Of Death: October 12, 2020
- State: Colorado
Those who knew Len describe him as a true legal scholar, a man of God, highly ethical, a benign jokester. He was a man on the go who climbed Longs Peak as a youth yet also found peace in adulthood tending to baby pine saplings and devouring the daily newspaper.
He loved playing and watching sports. Listening to University of Colorado college football games on the radio planted a seed of interest in higher education. After his graduation from Lyons High School in 1946 as salutatorian that seed sprouted when he hitch-hiked to the University of Colorado where he received a Bachelor’s degree in history in 1951 and a juris doctorate in 1956.
In between work on those degrees he was drafted into the US Army in 1952 and became an intelligence officer. On his flight transport to Korea from Guam, he often recounted, the pilot came on the intercom to announce that President Eisenhower had signed the armistice stopping the war. The soldiers let out a cheer. His plane was diverted to Japan where Len spent a year manning the military pay run to Northern Japan. In Japan, aside from his official duties in the Counter Intelligence Corps, he learned to play golf and to snow ski, two activities he enjoyed after returning stateside.
Back in Colorado, he finished his Law Degree and joined his friend and classmate Orrel Daniel to practice law. With Edward Brown they formed the law firm of Daniel, McCain, and Brown which became a fixture for decades on the corner of Bridge and N 1st Streets in Brighton.
Len’s law work included prosecution, family law, real estate, and municipal practice. He served as Assistant City Attorney in Thornton and, later, as City Attorney in both Brighton and Ft. Lupton as both towns grew. His work included efforts in support of the creation of the Brighton Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant, one of the largest such facilities in the nation. Additionally, he served on the board of two local community banks.
In 1966, he married the love of his life, Eloise Randleman, a schoolteacher from Fort Collins. They moved to one of the first Brighton homes located east of Benedict Park on 20th Avenue where he resided for nearly 50 years. In 1968, Len and Ellie celebrated the birth of their first son, Clark Alan. Two years later their second son, David Randal, was born.
Len retired in 1994 after more than 30 years in law.
After Ellie’s untimely death in 1999, Len continued to play golf and follow his favorite sports teams which included the Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies, and his beloved Colorado Buffaloes. He held season tickets to the latter for over 60 years and watched them win the national championship at the Orange Bowl in 1989.
He lived his final 5 years at Inglenook at Brighton where he enjoyed the ease of having meals prepared for him, regular Bingo games and camaraderie with other residents. Betty Winfree became a beloved friend and constant companion.
He is survived by three brothers, Jim, Gene and Dean and his wife Mary; and one sister, Margaret Billings; his son, Clark, and his wife Mary (Donoghue) and their two children, Ellie and Patrick; and his son David and his wife Katie Pierce and their dog, Star. He is preceded in death by both of his parents; two brothers, Richard and Merle; and wife Eloise.
