PHOTO BY LORELEI MAMIE

Sunday, October 5, 2025; Snake Hill Trail: Lennie Stover hikes the Snake Hill Trail with the Friends of Snake Hill and City Council candidate Nikki Hudson.

by Greg Cznadel

   (Plain Press June 2026) Lennie Stover was the man. As Brenda Theuer described him, “A mountain of a man with a heart even bigger.” Kenneth Fryman agreed when he said of Lennie, “…in everything you did in life, you were the best at what you did.”  Lennie lived by the motto it is easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission. Lorelei Mamie expounded, “A quick conversation with the guy and you’d LOVE him. Funny and kind with a real passion of continuing his work of the Red Line GreenWay – bringing green spaces to urban communities.” Eric Francis said “Lennie was a godsend. He dragged me over the finish line on two separate longtime goals” and Caroline Rostafinski Merk “…a passionate larger-than life man.”

RED LINE GREENWAY

   On April 22, 2026, fans of multipurpose trails lost a truly tireless advocate with the passing of Lennie Stover. Lennie is most known for his work on the Red Line Greenway in Cleveland over the course of multiple decades The idea behind the trail began in the 1970s. Red line Greenway connects the Near West Side to Downtown Cleveland while offering views of industry, nature and the city along the way. A final phase being planned over the Cuyahoga River and into downtown will make it even better.

   Sean McDermott, chief planning and design officer for the Metroparks, said the trail provides transportation and recreation options while helping to connect urban neighborhoods. “We’re threading the needle,” he said. “It’s not only a unique experience to be next to a rail line but also knowing that we’ve got six connection points into the neighborhoods and the ability to further those connections in the future.

   Always positive, Lennie Stover said, “It didn’t come out as great as we envisioned, but we are not done yet as we work to extend it into downtown Cleveland as the highest elevated Greenway on an active rail line in America! Thank you to the thousands of volunteers who made this Greenway possible and saved over $2 million to build it.”

Difficulty

   For Lennie, there was only one hitch in the plan. In the center of the bridge, for 1,900 feet, tracks expand to fill the entire surface. That means that the trail would have to be cantilevered — extended — off the curving southeast side of the structure for those 1,900 feet. Steel or aluminum brackets would support the trail, which would stick out from the side of the bridge like a shelf. The skywalk concept could cost upwards of $10 million, and could be viewed as redundant, given that the Detroit-Superior (Veterans Memorial) and Lorain-Carnegie bridges already have dedicated bike lanes and pedestrian walkways.

   But Lennie said, “I am passionate about making the Red Line Greenway a reality. It will be a legacy for the people of Greater Cleveland and lift the lives of everyone in Northeast Ohio. “

   Some might consider Stover’s quest an impossible dream. “He didn’t take offense when he was described as the ‘Don Quixote’ of Cleveland city planning : In fact, he took it as a badge of honor because the errant knight in the Cervantes novel never gives up.”

SNAKE HILL

   Snake Hill Trail was unpassable and neglected when Lennie came upon it, now after years of his work, mostly done alone, it’s a beautiful gateway to the zoo. Kids that played here decades ago hopefully will return now that we’re using this valley again as a community green space. (In fact, after Lennie graded the top of the trail, kids now go sled riding down the path.)

   Eric Francis, who lives across from Snake Hill and helped to create Friends of Snake Hill, had only met Lennie the past few years. He said “I might have a lot of lofty ideas, good ideas – many people do. But Lennie put them into action. Not half measures, not vague conjecture, real action. His actions didn’t just bear fruit; they spread and dug roots.”

   Lorelei Mamie, Eric’s wife went on, “Though we never heard of the guy, …for several years in secret, he had been personally grooming the little Snake Hill Trail in the ravine across the street from our house. Eric maintained the top of the trail of debris and litter, and we assumed it was the MetroParks finally taking an interest in the area. I mean – there was A LOT of work – fallen trees moved from the trail, gathered brush piles, a culvert installed – real work accomplished – some done by heavy machinery.  It wasn’t until a MetroParks meeting late last summer when we tried to thank them and they admitted none of it was their doing. Eventually, we noticed a guy in the back snickering. That was Lennie.”

   Our little group Friends of Snake Hill would be spinning its wheels without the dedication of Lennie Stover and Chris Feighan. Grateful for their steady hands and true stewardship of the earth. Lorelei and I had the great honor of spending a lot of time together with Lennie lately, and as much as I hurt, I’m trying to feel blessed to have been riding shotgun on Lennie’s train, even if only for a little while.

   Nikki Hudson, city councilperson, had the incredibly good fortune to be introduced to local legend Lennie Stover after hiking the beautiful Snake Hill Trail he cleared while no one was looking. Lennie lived by the motto that it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission, something I personally identify with, but the things Lennie did were not minor tasks like planting flowers, they were huge undertakings that often required heavy equipment and machinery, always masterfully operated by Lennie.

   This man did not take baby steps, no hopping to the next lily pad. This man bit off chunks. Like this huge park bench as one person said, “That old bench is too big to move”. So, Lennie cut it down the middle with a chainsaw on the streets of Cleveland. Polished it up and moved the good half to his private little valley.” Or, using his front-end loader to regrade the top of the path of Snake Hill after his latest un-approved shift, moving picnic tables down the path, bringing back to life an old rustic switching station, or his work on the Red Line Greenway in Cleveland over the course of multiple decades. Lennie Stover was the man.

   Lorelei Mamie recalled one Tuesday, we met up with Lennie down in the Snake Hill ravine after his latest un-approved shift on his front-end loader grading the top of the path before our next hike last Saturday. Along with Chris Feighan, we chatted at a picnic table Lennie had placed along the trail (again, without permission) and listened to the symphony of birds and bats overhead as the sunlight faded.

   Late last winter Lorelei said Lennie mentioned repurposing structures along the rail lines. He’s been working with the local TASCforce (Trail Advocates of Summit County force) to help guide their rails-to-trails efforts on the evolving Veteran’s Trail in Hudson. He “asked me about painting a mural on one in Hudson. I had never attempted a mural before, but I wasn’t one to turn down an art project. He had just four partial cans of paint to use I thought of a way he could get it started for me. I decided flowers might brighten up the end-of-winter look.  Keep in mind – we did not have permission, this was on property we don’t own, in a county we don’t live, doing something we weren’t asked to do. But Lennie had a vision! So, for several March and April Sundays, the three of us would meet up behind a park and start to beautify a worn out, rusty rail switching station.

   Sam McNulty shares another story about Lennie Stover. He recalled yet another spring volunteer cleanup day in Market Square Park where we were trying and failing to remove the root balls of dead trees in the park with only hand tools. I called Lennie to ask if we could borrow his power tools someday to do the job and within literal minutes he rolled up the hill like the f’—king cavalry in his giant tractor coming from the Redline Greenway and within minutes we had all the root balls yanked and were planting the new trees in the freshly dug out soil.

Giving Thanks

   Eric Francis offers thank everyone who worked for YEARS to make the Snake Hill Trail a realty. Lennie Stover who wouldn’t quit, and the Metroparks leadership of Brian Zimmerman, Sean McDermott and Joe Roszak.

   Sam McNulty said Lennie Stover was a legendary human that left our world too soon — and left our world far better than he found it. Lorelei described him as big-hearted in nature; Lennie had chosen to be an organ donor, so his generosity of self will live on in more than the stunning green spaces he championed for our region.

   Lennie’s last night of freedom was spent like so many. Working with friends, laughing when the work was done.

   As Sam McNulty posted, “There’s a bright new star shining in the sky tonight. much love to you, Lennie.”