Obituary: Ted Lenhardt

It is with gratitude to God that we share the passing of our beloved father and husband, Ted Lenhardt, who left us on July 10, 2024, at the age of 92 surrounded by his loving family and friends in his final moments. 

In his early years in Michigan, Ted was a gifted basketball player at many levels. After playing at Western Michigan, he took a gamble and sent a letter to Coach Adolph Rupp, the head coach at the University of Kentucky.  He stated how he could make an impact to Coach Rupp’s coaching staff, and apparently Coach Rupp was impressed and hired him on as an assistant coach.

After spending multiple years with the University of Kentucky, he was hired as the head coach at Tulane University in New Orleans. Later, he returned home to Coloma, Michigan, and continued his work on the family farm.

Ted and his family switched “orchards” and moved to Winter Garden, Florida, in 1974 and became involved in citrus.  Being an “outside the box thinker,” he designed and patented a process to minimize the application of pesticides to fruits and vegetables crops. Today, the company he started, Magrowtec, is providing pesticide application solutions to clients worldwide. 

Ted is survived by his wife, Joyce, of 70 years; sons and daughter (Ted Jr., Tamara, Ross and Matt); and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Ted was the last of his 11 siblings to go to Heaven, and we believe that right now our dad is basking in the glory, presence and love of our Lord.