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Leonard Jacob Hertel

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Birth	:	18 Aug 1925 Corson County, South Dakota, USA
Death	:	5 Jun 2015 Antelope County, Nebraska, USA
Burial	:	Brunswick Cemetery, Brunswick, Antelope County, USA
Coordinate	:	42.3424988, -97.9518967
Description	:	Leonard Jacob Hertel, passed away on Friday, June 5, 2015 at the age of 89. He outlived all his direct ancestors, except his grandmother, Lydia (Fuerst) Zimmerman, who died a few months before she would have been 100. Leonard Jacob was born Aug. 18, 1925, the first of nine children, to Frederick M. and Anna Helen Louise (Zimmerman) Hertel, the only daughter of Jacob and Lydia (Fuerst) Zimmerman, "on a dirt floor" (as they say for children who were born at home, and had a dirt floor), near McLaughlin, South Dakota. His grandmother, Eva (Schock) Hertel, a very capable... Read More	Leonard Jacob Hertel, passed away on Friday, June 5, 2015 at the age of 89. He outlived all his direct ancestors, except his grandmother, Lydia (Fuerst) Zimmerman, who died a few months before she would have been 100. Leonard Jacob was born Aug. 18, 1925, the first of nine children, to Frederick M. and Anna Helen Louise (Zimmerman) Hertel, the only daughter of Jacob and Lydia (Fuerst) Zimmerman, "on a dirt floor" (as they say for children who were born at home, and had a dirt floor), near McLaughlin, South Dakota. His grandmother, Eva (Schock) Hertel, a very capable midwife, was there to help bring him into this world. He was baptized at Hope Lutheran Church, a country church, which his grandparents, John and Eva (Schock) Hertel, were instrumental in founding, by the pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, of Selby, S.D.; Hope Lutheran didn't have a pastor yet. He was also confirmed in this church. Leonard grew up on the family farm, and attended the Hertel Country School, which got its name because the only children who attended there were Hertels from the nearby farms, completing the 8th grade, as was the German tradition, but that didn't end his education. His mother died in childbirth Nov. 26, 1935, when he was 10 yrs. old, leaving behind nine children - a devastating event for the whole family. His newest brother died two months later. He got a new mother, Hildegard (Billigmeier) Dobler, about a year later, who brought five more children, 2 girls and 3 boys - two being a set of fraternal twins, into the family. This union brought still five more children, all boys, into the Hertel family - 15 boys and four girls in all, including the son who died in infancy. Leonard started working full time for pay when he was 12 yrs. old, and he felt the heavy responsibility of needing to help with the care of all his siblings, and often did, and for the rest of his life. Leonard married Estella Marie Louise Hueners, only daughter of William A. and Margarete (Deusser) Hueners, on June 24, 1948 in the Redeemer Lutheran Church in McLaughlin, officiated by Rev. Rudolph Inselmann. To this union seven children were born. Sylvia was their first anniversary gift, born June 23, 1949, an honor Leonard and Estella never let her forget. In 1952 he left farming and moved his fast growing family to Freeborn County, Minnesota, where he discovered his lifelong love for carpentry, and got his education for the trade of cabinet maker under the tutelage of Ferd Miller. When completed, he built the first house of several for his family in Emmons, Minnesota. When the unions took over the state, he found himself out of work, and for a while worked in Iowa, where he stayed during the week, and only came home for the weekends. This routine got old fast, but soon his brother, Raymond, informed him of the need for carpenters building missile silos for the Ellsworth Air Force Base at Rapid City, S.D., in the surrounding areas - a job that didn't last as long as expected. So, once again, in June 1960, he moved his family to Lead, South Dakota, where he later, after three years of working in the Homestake Gold Mine, became a contractor. As such, he drew up the plans for the new educational addition for Bethel Lutheran Church in Lead, and supervised its construction, doubling the size of the building; built the first buildings for the Terry Peak Ski Slope; the first floor of the new wing of the Lariat Motel in Deadwood; designed and built Mr. and Mrs. Al Melchert's retirement home, who owned the Melchert Saw Mill outside of Rochford, started building specialty furniture for the Homestake Gold Mine, and did much remodeling for a large number of people in the area. His summer crew consisted of all but one of his uncle, Emil Hertel's, six sons. While doing all that, he also gutted the house Leonard and Estella had bought in Lead, and completely remodeled it, making what was once not much more than a shack into a showplace. In the summer of 1966, Leonard started working for the Lead-Deadwood School District as their carpenter. While there, he built many organizational pieces of furniture, and organizational storage areas, shelving and desks for the high school library, and much more. The teachers thought he was an absolute miracle worker, and he often made the local newspapers for the great work he did there. During that time, he started building specialty furniture for the Homestake Gold Mine, and built another home for his family just outside of Lead, using the trees they cleared from the land to make the space they needed to build the new house and out buildings - another showplace. Blue stained "bug wood" was used for the walls of the interior of the A-Frame house. Retiring in 1987, he didn't quit working. He started building furniture pieces of a great variety for his family and others, and continued to build some specialty furniture for the Homestake Gold Mine. During their retirement years, Leonard and Estella made many trips around the country, sightseeing, visiting family, and a little snow-birding in Arizona and Florida. In about 1997, Leonard and Estella moved to Brunswick, Neb., where their youngest was living on the farm. They bought another home there, swearing they weren't going to do any more remodeling - which didn't last long. Again, Leonard turned an old house into a showplace, but also, continued to build furniture for family and others, and built the new addition to his daughter, Jenny's and her husband's house, doubling its size for their large family. Some years after Estella fell victim to Alzheimer's, they moved again to Tucson, Arizona in 2009. When Estella died in 2012, Leonard moved back to Brunswick, where he lived the rest of his life with Jenny and her family. Leonard loved to sing, and often made up his own lyrics, and the tune to go with them, impromptu, a talent which convinced Estella he was the man for her, and with which he charmed many unhappy children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and the great many foster children they took in. He never worked without humming or whistling a tune as he went along. Many people remember his very sociable nature. He always had plenty of stories to tell, but he loved to hear other people's stories, also, and was an exceptional writer. When he composed expressions of his feelings, it came out more like poetry. Still working so many years after his retirement, people often asked him when he was going to quit working. His prompt reply was always, "Oh, probably the day I die. You know, my grandmother had a saying..." Here he had to pause a second, because he knew it better in German than he did in English, but he went on with, "...'Work is sweet; idleness starches the muscles.'" He often quoted his grandparents, and told many stories about them, and his childhood. Leonard loved to laugh, loved children, loved to discuss politics, and was an avid reader on many topics. He was also a very humble, and a deeply spiritual man, who served as deacon at Bethel Lutheran Church, later Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, in Lead for over 30 yrs. He actively lived the beliefs and principles with which he was raised in his church, work place, home, and taught his children those same principles. He was a very loving and devoted husband, father, son and brother to his entire family, a faithful child of God and worked hard at peacekeeping. He is survived by one son: Jeffery John, of Tucson; three daughters: Sylvia Margaret Hertel, Renae Marie Chapman of Tucson, and Jenny Louise Pellatz of Brunswick; three brothers: Martin Norman of Sturgis, S.D., Lawrence Benjamin (Mary) of Piedmont, S.D. and William "Willie" Heinrich (Bernice) of Moorcroft, Wyoming; one sister: DeLainis D. (Casmir) Jochim, of Mandan, N.D.; one step brother: LeMore Allen Dobler, of Belle Fourche, S.D.; two step sisters: Shirley Anne (Dobler) Jerry, of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Jeanette Verdella (Dobler) Jundt, of Waukesha, Wisconsin; three half brothers: Delray L., of Thomas, Oklahoma, Stanley Wesley, of Ft. Yates, N.D. and Timothy Neal (Tina), of McLaughlin; 17 grandchildren, about 25 great grandchildren, and well over 60 nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death were his wife: Estella; one son: Roger Leonard, in 1977; two daughters: Rita Ann, in 1955, and Julie Ann (Hertel) Mathwich, in 2009; his parents and step mother; three brothers: Alfred John, in 2015, Raymond Frederick, in 2012, and Lester Harvey, in 1936; one sister: Hertha Helen (Hertel) Scott, in 2008; step brothers: Lloyd Earl Dobler, in 2008, and LeRoy Alvin Dobler, in 1993; two half brothers: Harvey Sylvester, in 2002, and Rodney August, in 2015; parents-in-law; several brothers and sisters-in-law, and several nieces and nephews. A celebration of life will be on Saturday, June 13, in Brunswick, a memorial at the Hertel family reunion in Spearfish on July 11, and another memorial service will be held in Lead on the same day at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Leonard Jacob Hertel's memorial?
Leonard Jacob Hertel's memorial is located at: Brunswick Cemetery, Brunswick, Antelope County, USA.
When did Leonard Jacob Hertel death?
Leonard Jacob Hertel death on 5 Jun 2015 in Antelope County, Nebraska, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Leonard Jacob Hertel's memorial?
Latitude: 42.3424988
Longitude: -97.9518967

Family Members:

Parent

Frederick M. “Fred” Hertel

(1900 - 1985)

Anna Helen Louise “Annie” Zimmerman Hertel

(1905 - 1935)

Spouse

Estella Marie Louise “Stella” Hueners Hertel

(1928 - 2012)

Siblings

Hertha Helen Hertel Scott

(1928 - 2008)

Lester Harvey Hertel

(1935 - 1936)

Harvey Sylvester Hertel

(1937 - 2002)

Rodney August Hertel

(1944 - 2015)

Stanley Wesley Hertel

(1950 - 2019)

Children

Julie Ann Hertel Mathwich

(1957 - 2009)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Brunswick Cemetery
Brunswick, Antelope County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3424988, -97.9518967

2. Danish Cemetery
Brunswick, Antelope County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3219800, -97.9125700

3. West Willowdale Cemetery
Antelope County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2649994, -97.9903030

4. Millerboro Cemetery
Antelope County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4216995, -98.0338974

5. Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
Antelope County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2630997, -97.8644028

6. Pleasant View Cemetery
Plainview, Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3665310, -97.7959700

7. Saint Pauls Catholic Church Cemetery
Plainview, Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3678700, -97.7959700

8. Walker Family cemetery
Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2772899, -97.8145970

9. Royal Cemetery
Royal, Antelope County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3363991, -98.1157990

10. Plainview Memorial Park Cemetery
Plainview, Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3512160, -97.7877140

11. Greenwood Cemetery
Creighton, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4747009, -97.9096985

12. Saint Ludgers Catholic Cemetery
Creighton, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4757000, -97.9092000

13. Rose Hill Cemetery
Creighton, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4756500, -97.9087500

14. Olcott Cemetery
Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4668999, -98.0335999

15. Zion Cemetery
Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3293991, -97.7371979

16. Stark Valley Cemetery
Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2635994, -97.7561035

17. Winnetoon Cemetery
Winnetoon, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5097198, -97.9550018

18. Morsett Cemetery
Royal, Antelope County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4349800, -98.1416300

19. Christ Lutheran Cemetery
Bazile Mills, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5106800, -97.9140100

20. Cedar Hill Cemetery
Bazile Mills, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5107994, -97.8972015

21. Pleasant View Cemetery
Orchard, Antelope County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3778000, -98.1844025

22. Eden Valley Cemetery
Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4241982, -97.7177963

23. Orchard Hill Cemetery
Orchard, Antelope County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3359890, -98.2241140

24. All Saints Cemetery
Clearwater, Antelope County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2052994, -98.1639023