Visitation
Founders Room, 18th Floor Zions Bank Building, One South Main Street, Salt Lake City, UtahThursday Sep 4, 2025: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Funeral
LDS Stake Center, 135 A Street, Salt Lake City, UtahFriday Sep 5, 2025: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
1942 ~ 2025
Thursday Sep 4, 2025: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Friday Sep 5, 2025: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Leonard Raymond Black, son of Archie Raymond Black and Florence May Simons Black, passed away at home, with his wife beside him, on August 16, 2025, at the age of 83.
Born February 8, 1942, in Salt Lake City, Leonard was a man of wide-ranging interests and remarkable talents. Among his greatest loves were his time as a Boy Scout, playing basketball, water skiing with his sons, creating businesses, working on cars, repairing anything that needed fixing, and his wife, Susan.
He attended East High School, where he played basketball and served on the Board of Control. His involvement with the “Board” led to his long-standing role as chairman of the East High Class of 1960 reunions, which fostered enduring and treasured relationships with his high school classmates over the decades. As a young man, he served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints among the Native American communities of the Southwest, forming precious memories of the region and the Navajo Nation. He attended the University of Utah on a basketball scholarship, where he played on two conference championship teams and competed in the NCAA Final Four. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, where he forged many lifelong friendships. After graduating, he joined the United States Air Force.
During his ten years of military service, Leonard completed a deployment to Vietnam earning a Bronze Star, a tour as an associate professor at the United States Air Force Academy, and an assignment in covert operations. After leaving the Air Force, he began an extensive career in business – first at the corporate level in space technology development and later in health informatics. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to found or co-found a number of diverse small businesses across various industries. Following his final venture, Leonard returned to the University of Utah as an associate professor at the David Eccles School of Business. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Utah Entrepreneur Center, developing an undergraduate major in entrepreneurship, and launching seven innovative programs that continue to benefit students and the university community.
He spent his retirement years serving alongside his wife, Susan. Together, they supported students from the Pacific Rim and Polynesia attending Brigham Young University–Hawaii, as he again, helped to establish an entrepreneurial center there. They worked on humanitarian projects on the island of Leyte in the Philippines, where Leonard was instrumental in assembling a manually operated borehole well driller to restore water access to villages affected by Typhoon Yolanda. In 2019, they served a Farmland Reserve Mission at the Navasota Ranch in Prairie Hill, Texas.
Leonard served in many callings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was especially known for his devoted service as a Gospel Doctrine instructor, early morning Seminary teacher, and dedicated Scoutmaster. His family will remember and cherish him for the loving husband and father he always was.
He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings Dora Bailey, JoAn Clark, Janet Holford, James Black; and two sons, Daniel Simon Black and Jason Millburn Black. He is survived by his wife, Susan Lloyd Black; and son, Michael Raymond Black; and his sister, Florence Romney.
A social gathering will take place on Thursday, September 4th, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Founders Room on the 18th floor of the Zions Bank Building, located at One South Main Street in Salt Lake City. Guests may enter through the basement entrance in the City Creek Center parking garage, near Macy’s.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 5th, at 11:00 a.m. at the LDS Stake Center, 135 A Street. Interment will follow on Saturday, September 6th, at 10:00 a.m. at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
Those wishing to view the service via Zoom can click "Watch Services" or follow the link:https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/pvdkcGm_AUtNYetfeaJ-41QTr8J33P5PUaPNWlIabjPda_c7Vd7cqcd5dMQf9Bbt.u09dMe4siQiRxGNz?startTime=1757090400000
Love this man. Good memories at his home and on vacation as a kid.
Leonard was a great person, to me a renaissance man who could do anything he wanted to do,
and did. He will leave an indelible mark on the communities and people he touched.
Love to Susan and the family.
Susan, so sorry to hear of the passing of Len. I know how difficult it is to lose someone close to you. I will remember you and your family in my prayers. Hope to see you back at the LDS Hospital Branch.
Leonard Black stood tall as a human being in more ways than his physical height; his mental acuity, spiritual depth, the adoration of his many students both young and old, the love and adoration of his church members, the many hearts he touched with his joy and love of living, and his kind devotion to his wife and family...our love and gratitude we send to you.
Dear sweet Susan,
Thinking of you with love and sorrow for the passing of Leonard. He is a good man and we mourn with you and pray that you may feel comfort and peace in your memories with him and the knowledge that you will be reunited again.
Sending our love,
Lynn and Kathy Skene
I had pleasure of living near Leonard in Bountiful, Utah. He being tall and handsome had everyone reached out to be around him. He play church basketball on our ward team. We also played on our city league team. He was a basketball super star.
We became dear friends. Leonard was a man of integrity, love, always willing to help, willing to run with new ideas/projects, and always had a smile on his face.
I had the opportunity to work with him at Intermountain Health Care (IHC); GTE (the ASI Information Systems of IHC was sold to GTE); Sunquest Information Systems and KLAS Enterprises. At Sunquest he and Susan spent almost in year in Mexico working to expand our laboratory service. At KLAS which stands for the founders (Kent, Leonard, Adam, and Scott), Leonard was a “key” founding partner. He with his statistical expertise help to set up the founding principles of our model for processing power user statistics to show which vendors in healthcare information system, imaging, computer tools were best in the industry. This company is over 25 years old and employees over 200.
Leonard was amazing man, father, husband, and friend. He loved and lived the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He truly followed the prophet. I am proud to be his eternal friend.
R. Scott Holbrook
Leonard, star of the East High basketball team, was the nemesis of our Olympus Titans. Then at the University of Utah, he was one of our guys. In his senior year, the Utes went to the NCAA Final Four and ended up just short a couple of free throws of upsetting Duke. It was the only time we know of that he was short on anything. At 6’3”, we looked up to him at the Sigma Chi House, and later and in many other ways he towered above—a leader, a Serviceman, a giver of remarkable humanitarian service, a scholar, a creator, an entrepreneur, a professor, a junior and senior missionary, a devoted family patriarch. We knew when “Nard” went on his way after college his life would be highly accomplished and just as highly exemplary. I didn’t see him after graduation, but we see in the obituary that he lived “tall as a tree.” All honor to his name.
What Leonard did on the island of Leyte in the Philippines was representative of his life of service, combined with his ingenuity. He and Susan were a great team. The local people grew to love and trust them. His perseverance in bringing water to villages in need will never be forgotten. On behalf of countless Filipinos, Salamat po!
We had the privilege of serving with these great people at BYU Hawaii. They were inspirations to all who got to work with them. A remarkable man.