- Date Of Birth: October 10, 1928
- Date Of Death: July 9, 2016
- State: Michigan
LLOYD J. COLENBACK, JR., 87, died on July 9, 2016 at the Evangelical Home in Saline, Michigan, as strong in death as he was in life. In his final days, Lloyd was surrounded by his children who played him the University of Michigan fight song and his favorite barbershop quartet and jazz music and treated him to one last hot fudge shake. A steady stream of social workers, nurses, CNAs and staff members came by all week to express their heartfelt goodbyes and share their stories of life with Lloyd. At the moment of his passing, bagpipes began playing in the distance from a Celtic festival that just happened to be in town. Perhaps his Scottish grandfather was welcoming him home. A charismatic man with a booming baritone voice, piercing eyes and a captivating smile, Lloyd always looked you in the eye and called you by name, leaving a strong impression on everyone he met. Known in Toledo, Ohio as “Mr. Downtown” for his vision and tireless efforts to revitalize the city, he was candid and outspoken, acted on principle and was not afraid to challenge the status quo in pursuit of his ideals. He believed in the power of our democracy, possessed a strong faith and bursted with enormous civic and collegiate pride. He loved to debate the political issues of the day, drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge of American history. An accomplished athlete with a fierce competitive spirit, he dominated on the gridiron, the basketball court and the baseball field, ran in 5K races and skied with his grandchildren until age 75, having added that sport to his repertoire near age 60. He was a staunch U of M sports fan and loyal supporter of the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers and Detroit Pistons. He was a beloved father and grandfather to his three children and four grandchildren. Lloyd also was well known as a champion of youth athletic and religious activities and volunteered as a coach, athletic administrator, booster club president and Sunday school teacher. He loved to attend athletic contests involving family members and friends and was always the loudest and most enthusiastic fan in the stands. He was there for us – an early feminist and constant cheerleader – ending many a conversation with his characteristic words of encouragement: “keep it going.” Lloyd was born in 1928 in Toledo, Ohio to Lloyd J. Colenback, Sr., an executive with the Toledo Scale Company, and Ruth Gelow Colenback, an early suffragette and secretary at Ottawa Hills High School. He attended Ottawa Hills High School until his father’s relocation took them to Rutland, Vermont. He stayed in Rutland to finish high school and lived with the Corsones family when his father returned to Toledo for business. A 1946 graduate of Rutland High School, Lloyd was part of a small cadre of stellar three-season Varsity lettermen who hold high school records in football, basketball and baseball to this day. As a First Team All-State end on the 1945 Rutland High School state championship football team, he was part of the deadly Kehoe-to-Colenback passing combination. Lloyd attended his beloved Colgate University (Class of 1950) where he was a leader in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, a history major, Class President and a member of the Colgate basketball team. A staunch Colgate alumnus and supporter of the college, who faithfully attended his reunions to reconnect with lifelong friends, he was awarded the school’s prestigious Maroon Citation in 1990 and Distinguished Service Award in 1995. After the death of his father in 1950, he assumed the role of family patriarch, supporting his mother and serving as a role model to his two younger brothers; brother Don Fredric Colenback went on to Yale University and became an ordained Episcopal minister and professor at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts and brother John Leonard Colenback attended Dartmouth College and became a Broadway actor and daytime television star on “As the World Turns.” After receiving an offer to join the Pittsburgh Pirates farm club, Lloyd abandoned his dream of playing professional baseball and headed for law school. He graduated in 1953 from what is now Case Western Reserve University School of Law, funding his legal adventure through jobs as a butler, babysitter, bartender and librarian. In law school, he was President of the Student Bar Association. He then joined the Counter Intelligence Corps of the United States Army during the Korean War and worked in the Pentagon. He met our dear mother, May Virginia Harvey Colenback, on a blind date in 1955, and they married a year later. They relocated to Michigan, where Lloyd worked as a salesman for the Republic Steel Company in Detroit for fifteen years, and raised their three children. Lloyd later worked in management in Jackson, Michigan for U&I Supply and Wickes Lumber Company before choosing a more entrepreneurial path as a real estate developer. Seeing the potential to turn farm land into gold, he built one of the first office buildings and restaurants in a rural field along what is now known as the Golden Corridor in Troy, Michigan. When his tenant, Owens- Corning Fiberglas, wanted to move some of its operations to Toledo, he jumped at the opportunity to return to his home town to help reinvigorate the city that he loved. In 1978, he purchased the old Lamson’s Department Store, built the year he was born, renamed it One Lake Erie Center and renovated it for lease to his former tenant. Years later, he was named volunteer director of ToledoVision, a group of city planners and citizens with a mission to design a new downtown master plan. Fortunately, he lived long enough to see much of his downtown Toledo vision become a reality. Lloyd was known for his philanthropic efforts assisting the Anne Grady Center, Colgate University, Case Western Reserve University School of Law and the University of Michigan School of Social Work, among other worthy causes. He was a longtime member of the First Congregational Church of Toledo where he served as deacon and often spoke from the pulpit as a lay minister. Lloyd lived for the past eight years at the Evangelical Home- Saline where he was cared for lovingly by incredible nurses and staff members who enjoyed his banter and wry sense of humor. We owe them all a large debt of gratitude. Lloyd is survived by his three children, The Hon. Judith Colenback Savage (ret.) and husband Jonathan Neal Savage of Providence, Rhode Island; Timothy Lloyd Colenback and wife Kimberly Ann Colenback of Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Girard Mosby Colenback of Providence, Rhode Island; his four grandchildren, Justin Benjamin Savage and wife Elizabeth Leach Savage of Providence, Rhode Island; Jeremy Bradford Savage and fiancée Katherine Elise Berling of Providence, Rhode Island; Julia Margaret Savage of Providence, Rhode Island; and Luke Andrew Dudek of Ann Arbor, Michigan; many nephews and nieces; and dear friend, Sally McCarthy. He was preceded in death by May Virginia Harvey Colenback, his wife of 41 years, his parents and his brothers. We are so proud of you, dear old Dad, for all you gave us in life. We will really miss you. You left your mark on your community, on everyone you met and in our hearts.
