Memorials › Leonard Eugene "Crazy Leonard" Vavra
Leonard Eugene "Crazy Leonard" Vavra
11 Jul 1928 – 11 May 2011
| Birth | 11 Jul 1928 |
| Death | 11 May 2011 |
| Cemetery | Westlawn-Hillcrest Memorial Park Omaha , Douglas County , Nebraska , USA |
| Added by | SandyBenakSchnackenberg on 21 Dec 2017 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69804850 |
Bio
Leonard served in the US Army during the end of WWII and the Korean Conflict. Preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Anna (Houska) Vavra; and brother, Edwin Vavra. Survived by wife Delphine; children and spouses, Debra Ritter and Bob Johnson, Douglas Vavra, David and Bethene Vavra, Dee and Jeff Elsberry, Don and Patty Vavra, Dionne and Howard Webber; 11 grandchildren; 5 great grandchildren and step-grandchildren; brother and sister-in-law, Frank and Shirley Vavra; add nieces and nephews. MASS of CHRISTIAN BURIAL Wednesday, May 18, 10am at Christ The King Catholic Church, 654 S. 86th St. Omaha. VISITATION Tuesday 2-7pm, with family receiving friends 5-7pm, followed by a 7pm Wake Service, all at Westlawn Hillcrest Funeral Home. Interment, Westlawn Hillcrest Memorial Park, with Military Honors by Millard AL #374 and VFW #8334. Memorials suggested to the Alzheimer's Association , American Red Cross, or Christ The King Catholic Church. WESTLAWN-HILLCREST Memorial Park Funeral Home 5701 Center Street 402-556-2500 ---------------------------------------- From the Omaha, NE. World Herald Newspaper: Leonard Vavra was known as "Crazy Leonard." Not just because he started his running hobby in his late 40s, back in the days when nobody went out and just ran. Not just because he continued running as an old man, no matter what — even when his knee gave him agony. And it wasn't because he managed to be cheerful after his leg was amputated, ending his running days. Other runners called Vavra "Crazy Leonard" because of the way he hooted and yelled when he ran. It took a lot to keep Vavra down. A stroke ended up taking his life Wednesday, his wife, Delphine, said. He was 82. Vavra's hooting, hollering and cheerfulness endeared him to many fellow runners. He was inducted into the Omaha Running Club Hall of Fame in 2007. He ran 97 marathons and made it to 100 with the help of relay teams that pushed him in a special wheelchair after the amputation. Vavra knew the power of enthusiasm, especially when complications developed after knee-replacement surgery at age 76. The complications nearly killed Vavra and led to the amputation. "Enthusiasm is like a fire on a windy day," he said at the time. "Life can be awfully low if you don't have some enthusiasm." Vavra knew he wasn't the fastest person. "I'm not a very important runner, never was," he said. "I have some enthusiasm. That's how anybody knows me." He always was a hard worker, never a quitter, his wife said. At times Vavra worked two jobs to support his six children. The native Nebraskan was born in Sargent and raised in Ord. He joined the Army right after high school, during World War II, and later served in the Korean War. He returned to Nebraska, moved to Omaha and was married. The warehouse worker one day began running, ditching his heavy smoking habit. His dog, a Weimaraner named Blue, would tag along. Delphine, Vavra's wife of nearly 60 years, let him indulge in his running passion, saying he could have had worse pastimes. Their children are Debra Ritter of Council Bluffs, David Vavra of Anthem, Ariz., and Douglas Vavra, Dee Elsberry, Don Vavra and Dionne Webber, all of Omaha. They pushed their father's wheelchair past the finish line at his 100th marathon in Omaha, in 2007. ------------------------------- From the Omaha World Hearld Newspaper: Often in life, second-hand accounts rarely do justice to the real thing. We met a perfect example of that in 2006. Runners knew Leonard Vavra well, especially his voice. We had heard about the passionate holler, but were not prepared for its ear-piercing precision. Vavra called it inspiration. His running partner's daughter originally thought he was nuts. "She goes, ‘dad is he crazy?'" said son Don Vavra. "And dad goes, ‘I'm Crazy Leonard' and it went from there." The story of "Crazy" Leonard blossomed. His six children, outside his funeral last week, recounted the beginnings of the marathoner and looked back at the impact their father made on the community. The most recent public hooting and hollering came last year at the Old Country Buffett. "He went around and told everybody it was his birthday," said daughter Dionne Webber. "In a restaurant." Dee Elsberry said, " Yes, everyone knew him." What's even more remarkable for this World War II and Korean War veteran is he didn't start his marathon career until he was 50 years old. He set a goal of 100 marathons and made it through 97 of them. Knee surgery complications cost him his leg, but he still made it to 100 as his running friends and family pushed Crazy Leonard in a wheelchair through the final three. Now a lot of people would hate that nickname, but he embraced it. "I think everytime someone mentioned that he hooted and hollered even more," said Omaha Marathon Director Susie Smisek. "He inspired and motivated a lot of people with that hoot." A stroke took Leonard's life at the age of 82. His family believes he got the most out of his years. "If you're gonna do something, have a good time, especially if you're gonna run 26 miles," said Leonard in 2006. "You better have a little fun." Even today, part of him can be heard on the course from other runners. "Owwwwwwwwhhh!" yelled Smisek. "That would be a Crazy Leonard hoot." For one last time, after the rosary, his children repeated the familiar hoot. As they did it loud, others whispered it to themselves. The sound lives on. The Omaha Marathon will donate $5 of each entry fee to the Omaha Running Club to purchase equipment in Leonard's memory. There will also be a Fun Run for him. A date hasn't yet been set.
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