Leonard G. Abraham

South Hadley-Dr. Leonard Gladstone Abraham Jr was born in Brooklyn, NY, on his mother Ruth's birthday, March 3, 1926. Growing up with his younger siblings Bill, Barbara, and Betty in Madison, NJ, Len sang in the church choir, competed in the high jump, built and flew model airplanes, and experimented with radios. Partway through college at Cornell, Len enlisted in the US Navy in 1944, ultimately serving on Guam; he mustered out two+ years later as an Electronics Mate, 2nd Class. Returning from service, he went on to complete his undergraduate as well as graduate degrees in Electrical Engineering. It was at Cornell that Len met and married Jean Marian Glindmyer. He also continued his love of singing, this time in Barber Shop quartets. During his Ph.D. thesis and throughout his career, his field of research was radio wave and microwave propagation and manipulation. While much of his work as a civilian contractor for the Department of Defense was, and remains to this day, classified, we know he helped develop the Ultra-Low Frequency submarine communication system that is still in use today by the US Navy. Working first at the GE Labs in Schenectady, NY, in 1959, Len was recruited by the Department of Defense to work for the GTE Sylvania Research Lab in Waltham, MA. Commuting weekly for two years between NY and MA, he and his wife Jean and their four boys, Charles, Robert, Richard, and Roger, eventually moved to Lexington, MA. Len was active in the purebred dog world with Basset Hounds, a Bloodhound and a Beagle in both dog shows and field trialing. He served in many roles as a member of both the Pilgrim Basset Hound Club and Eastern Dog Club. Six years after Jean's passing in 1972, Len met and married Kathleen Sabourin, a Wellesley school teacher. They moved to Stow, MA, while he finished his career at the Mitre Corporation in Bedford, MA. Once both retired, Len and Kathy moved to Belchertown, MA, enjoying the unique blend of rural and university access the area is known for. Len continued to sing in the church choir and stayed involved in the Eastern Dog Club. Preceded in death by Kathy in 2013, Len moved to Loomis Village in South Hadley and eventually into the Soldiers Home of Holyoke, from where he passed peacefully on December 20, 2022. He leaves behind his two sisters, Betty Dowd and Barbara Shrauner, and sister-in-law, Berta Abraham, sons Charles (Rhoda) Abraham, Robert (Janet) Abraham, Richard (Diane) Abraham, and Roger (Cynthia) Abraham, nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren with a ninth on the way, and many nieces and nephews. It is worth noting that in his later years, despite losing two wives to cancer, Len would often share that he was truly blessed to have loved and been loved by two exceptional women. He will be missed by all who knew him. In lieu of flowers gifts can be made in Len's memory at takethelead.org a 501C3 organization that assists professional dog handlers during times of crisis. Visitation will be held Thursday Dec. 29 from 9-10:30 a.m. at the Beers & Story South Hadley Funeral Home, 646 Newton St. with a graveside service and military honors at 11:00 a.m. at Notre Dame Cemetery. Please visit www.beersandstory.com