Orleans, MA – Leonard Victor Short, Jr., died at home in Orleans on August 3, 2026, at age 94, surrounded by family. His names seemed designed as counterweights to the diminutive meaning of “Short,” and they fit: Len lived a life anything but small or brief.
A stubborn and independent New Englander, Len served in wartime Korea and then Japan. After earning his communications degree from Boston University, he worked as a journalist and public relations executive, including as New Hampshire PR director for presidential candidate Nelson Rockefeller.
With his first wife, Sandy, Len raised four children in New Ipswich, NH, where they ran Sundials & More. Later, with his wife Sally, he traveled widely and built a successful craft business.
In Orleans, Len became an environmental advocate, leading efforts to improve water quality and earning the town’s 2018 Citizen of the Year honor.
He is survived by four children, nine grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
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