Leonard "Lenny" J. Byrne

Leonard J. “Lenny” Byrne, 66, of La Crosse, passed away on Friday, March 6, 2015, in Coral Springs, Fla.

He was born in Rochester, Minn., on November 26, 1948, to Lawrence and Pauline (Schmidt) Byrne. He spent most of his childhood in Rochester before moving to Minneapolis. It was there that he later met his wife, the former Linda Hanus, whom he married on May 26, 1973, in Bannister, Mich.

Lenny worked for the Soo Line and Canadian Pacific Railroads for 44 years. He was stationed out of Burlington, Wis., and Stevens Point, Wis., before moving to La Crosse in 1990. He retired in 2011. In his free time, Lenny enjoyed building electronic equipment as a hobby.

Lenny is survived by Linda, his beloved wife of 41 years; two children, Hannah (Francisco) Rincon of Coral Springs, Fla., and Jeremy (Angie) Byrne of Lake Villa, Ill.; three grandchildren, Mateo Rincon, and Colin and Emily Byrne; a brother-in-law, Michael Malwitz of Branson, Mo.; and a niece and nephew, Jennifer (Paulino Ponce) Malwitz-Ponce of Chicago and Christian Malwitz of Overland Park, Kan. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Pauline, and his sister, Mary Malwitz.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Thursday, March 12th, at St. James the Less Catholic Church, 1102 Caledonia St., in La Crosse. Rev. Robert Schaller will officiate. Burial will take place in the Ford Cemetery in Elsie, Mich., on Saturday. Friends may call from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m., on Wednesday at Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services, 200 West Ave. So., La Crosse, where a prayer service will be held at 6:45 p.m., and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service on Thursday at the church. Online condolences may be submitted at www.schumacher-kish.com.