Maximilian Y. Lenail
March 26, 1999-Jan. 29, 2021
Palo Alto, CA

Max Lenail, resident of Palo Alto, CA, died at the Mission Trails Regional Park near San Diego on Friday, January 29, 2021. He died while crossing a swollen river during a run in the park.

Max was born in Chêne-Bougeries near Geneva, Switzerland, and came to live in Palo Alto’s Community Center neighborhood at an early age. He attended schools in Palo Alto including Casa di Bambini, the International School of the Peninsula (pre-K to 8th grade), and Palo Alto High School. Max was set to graduate from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, in May 2021 with a concentration in neurobiology. Max was intent on applying to medical school and becoming a physician.

Max will be remembered for his extraordinary kindness, generosity, and many talents. He was a peacemaker, a mediator, and a diplomat who selflessly brought comfort, joy, and harmony into people’s lives. He could be serious, earnest, and intense in his pursuits; and those close to him knew him to be light-hearted and very funny as well. Max lived an honorable life in accordance with his strong moral compass and values. He was mature well beyond his years.

Max was a fantastic chef and regaled his family with creative and healthy meals whenever he was home. He was an expert glassblower at PALY, and much of his artwork graces his family's home. An exceptional athlete and outdoorsman, Max enjoyed a passion for rock-climbing and bouldering. He had spent considerable time in the mountains' majestic beauty in Yosemite and in the Eastern Sierra, which felt to him like his natural habitat. Max was devoted to his wonderful Golden Retriever, Hazel.

Max had worked in several research labs at Stanford Medicine (Anne Brunet, Keith Van Haren, Rob Malenka) and for the neuroscience company Inscopix.

Some of the family’s most precious memories are the many service trips in Central America with the Menlo Church, trips to France, and special times together with family and friends.

Max is survived by his mother Laurie Yoler, father Ben LeNail, and brother Alex LeNail (Palo Alto); honorary sister Whitney Lohmeyer (New York); grandparents Stan and Judy Cooper (Mill Valley, CA); aunts Kathy Yoler (Jackson WY) and Lisa Ethans (Vancouver BC); and Uncle Philippe LeNail (Chambery, France).

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Max’s honor to the Van Haren Lab at Stanford Medicine (link below). https://my.supportlpch.org/fundraiser/2117469