Len W. Pickett

Len W. Pickett, 77, of Kingsford, passed away Thursday, October 27, 2022 at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, WI. Len was born January 6, 1945 in Goodrich, MI, son of the late Ross and Mary (Lowrie) Pickett. He graduated from Grand Blanc High School in 1963. Len married Frances LeClaire on July 1, 1967 at St. Anne Catholic Church in Baraga. The couple moved to Marquette, MI where Len attended Northern Michigan University and obtained a Bachelor’s of Science with High Honors. The couple moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where Len earned his Masters in Speech Language Pathology from the University of New Mexico. After completion of his Masters degree he was accepted into the Doctoral studies at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He became involved in the VA in Minnesota until he was offered a job at the Iron Mountain Veterans Administration Hospital. He left the U of M to begin work at the Iron Mountain VA where he implemented the Speech and Hearing Clinic. Len continued to work at the VA for 15 years. He moved to Daytona Beach to set up a Speech and Hearing Clinic at a new outpatient clinic for the VA. After one year in Florida, he was ready to return to the Upper Peninsula. He taught at Manistique High School for three years and NMU for five years. He finished out his 40 plus year career in speech pathology working at Dickinson County Hospital and Home Health and retired in 2004. He was a member of St. Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Kingsford, the Knights of Columbus, the Serra Club and the Merriman Sportsmen’s Club. He coached Little League and Special Olympics for several years and was a delegate for the Republican Party. Len was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing and spending time at camp. He was an outstanding athlete and enjoyed watching his grandchildren participate in many sports. He traveled to many countries and made friends everywhere he went. He was a wonderful husband, father, papa, friend, mentor, and teacher. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Fran; two sons, Shaun (Trisha) Pickett of Felch and Mike (Stacey) Pickett of Iron Mountain; a daughter, Shannon (Jeff) Powell of Iron Mountain; grandchildren, Audra (Ben) DeRidder, Eva and Scotty Pickett, Ellison, Jacob, James and Joseph Powell, and Isabella “Bella”, Connor and Brinley Pickett; one great granddaughter, Marilyn DeRidder; a brother-in-law, Dr. John (Lisa) LeClaire; nephews, Brian (Courtney) LeClaire and Andrew LeClaire; and a niece, Sara (Will) Metz. Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 3, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at the Erickson-Rochon Nash Funeral Home in Iron Mountain. A Memorial Mass will be on Friday at 11:00 am at St. Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Kingsford. Fr. Michael Woempner will offer the Mass of Christian Burial. Burial will be in Iron Mountain Cemetery Park. The family would like to express a special thank you to the Kingsford Fire Department for the many times they helped Len in the past few years. Also, to Len’s special friends Dr. Ted and Mary Fornetti. Mary spent countless hours at the hospital with Len over the past 40 years through his 18 major surgeries. May the road rise up to meet you May the wind be always at your back May the sun shine warm upon your face The rains fall soft upon your fields And until we meet again May God hold you in the palm of his hand Condolences may be expressed to the family of Len Pickett online at www.ernashfuneralhomes.com The family has entrusted the Erickson-Rochon & Nash Funeral Home with the funeral arrangements.

Len W. Pickett

January 6, 1945 - October 27, 2022