Leonard Patrick Jennings, Jr., M.D., a well-respected orthopedic surgeon in Hibbing, Minnesota, passed away on April 26, 2023, at the age of 88, in Duluth, Minnesota.
Jennings served the Hibbing’s community through his private orthopedic surgery practice and his affiliation with Fairview Range Medical Center.
“Doc was smart, kind, compassionate, and always put others ahead of himself. An inspiration to all who knew him and loved him. He will be missed,” his family wrote.
He received his medical degree in 1959 from Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, DC. Afterwards, he moved to Miami, Florida, to do his orthopedic surgery residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Jennings was born on August 26, 1934, in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, to Leonard Patrick, Sr. and Lillian Honorata Jennings. He was the second of three children. He first completed his undergraduate degree at King’s College in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, before embarking on his medical training.
He met his wife, Mary Lou, in Miami while training at Jackson Memorial Hospital. She was a nurse there. They married in December of 1966 and were together for 56 years.
His Catholic faith was very important to Jennings. He and his wife along with Sister Thea Bowman, established the Sister Thea Bowman Black Catholic Education Foundation. The foundation is a national Catholic organization dedicated to partnering with Catholic institutions of higher education to provide better access to educational opportunities for underserved African American students. He served on its board and was very dedicated to the foundation.
Jennings is survived by his wife, his sons Leonard Patrick Jennings, III, Kevin Christopher Jennings, Michael Anthony Jennings and daughter-in-law, Cindy Renee Jennings, and his six grandchildren: Jacob, Lenny, Samuel, William, Lillian and Liam. He also leaves behind his brother, Dr. John Jennings.
He was preceded in death by his son, George Louis Jennings, and his sister, Lois Patricia Jennings.
