Rest in peace, Robert C. “Bob” Klenda 1936-2026

[alfredleatherworks]

I just found out that one of the best saddlers in the country, Bob Klenda, passed away last month. I had hoped to meet him, but sadly that will not be possible now. I know many folks in the leather world have had great experiences meeting with him, learning from him, and working with him, and many more (myself included) have purchased his books and patterns. He was a legend, and by all accounts a really great person.

His obituary is posted here.

[bruce johnson]

One of the really good people in the leather business. They gave a little tribute to him at the Sheridan Leather Show Awards ceremony. One thing that struck me - Herman Oak figures he was likely the longest continuous customer of Herman Oak Leather. He bought leather from them for over 60 years. That's some kind of impressive stat right there. Always willing to share, always happy. His matter-of-fact casual writing style in Leather Crafters Journal was him in real life too. His booth at Prescott was around the corner from us. When things slowed and I had some walk-around time I got a lot smarter just chatting with him. One of the good ones! 

[alfredleatherworks]

20 hours ago, bruce johnson said:

One of the really good people in the leather business. They gave a little tribute to him at the Sheridan Leather Show Awards ceremony. One thing that struck me - Herman Oak figures he was likely the longest continuous customer of Herman Oak Leather. He bought leather from them for over 60 years. That's some kind of impressive stat right there. Always willing to share, always happy. His matter-of-fact casual writing style in Leather Crafters Journal was him in real life too. His booth at Prescott was around the corner from us. When things slowed and I had some walk-around time I got a lot smarter just chatting with him. One of the good ones! 

Being a customer for HO for 60 years should have won him an award on its own! At least a steak knife set or something 😆.

I’m about to get a Leather Crafter’s Journal membership, and one of the things I plan to do is read a lot of Mr. Klenda’s articles (along with anything else saddlery-related I can find). I “apprenticed” (very non-traditionally/informally) for about three years in a saddle shop of a friend almost 20 years ago, and only recently have I been getting back into saddle-related work. I may not be able to learn from Mr. Klenda in person, but I bet I’ll learn a heap from all he wrote.

I am trying to make a day-trip to the Heart of Texas Leather Show, and I’m hoping to meet a bunch of folks there that I’ve bought from, learned from in their books or onlilne classes, etc. Mr. Klenda’s passing is a sad reminder that many of the people I think of as legends in the industry won’t be around forever.