Leonard John Buelt

Leonard John Buelt, 95, of Kasson, MN and formerly of Waltham, MN passed away on July 13, 2019, at Prairie Meadows Senior Living in Kasson.

Leonard John Buelt, youngest of nine children of Herman and Elizabeth (Behrens) Buelt of Halbur, Iowa, was born on the family farm on April 14, 1924. He attended St. Augustine’s grade school in Halbur and graduated from Carroll High School in Carroll, Iowa in 1942, where he was a member of the football team all four years.   Leonard attended Creighton University in Omaha, NE, but left college after his junior year to run the family farm for his aging father after his brother was drafted into the army.

Leonard’s brother returned to the farm after recovering from wounds received in Germany and Leonard enlisted in the army where he was assigned to the Office of the Inspector General, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Armor Division at Fort Knox, Kentucky. During a leave, Leonard met a girl from a neighboring town, and after his discharge, married Virginia Beckman on October 3, 1950 in Arcadia, Iowa. He and Virginia lived on a farm south of Carroll for seven years, then moved to a farm near Waltham, MN in 1958 where they raised five children and resided until 2008. In 2008, the couple moved to Austin, MN, and later to Prairie Meadows in Kasson, MN.

Leonard was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Hayfield, MN where he sang in the choir. He was a member of the American Foreign Exchange Student program, Knights of Columbus, and the Lions Club. Leonard enjoyed farming, raising Black Angus cattle, and watching football and baseball. Leonard received an award for Outstanding Young Farmer in Conservation from the Isaac Walton League. In 1962, Leonard became postmaster of Waltham, MN, and retired from the Brownsdale, MN Post Office in 1990.

Leonard and Virginia loved to travel and visited their son, Steven, multiple times while he was in the army and based in Europe. While in Germany, they also visited with Sybile Freudenburg, the foreign exchange student they hosted during the 1978-79 school year.

Leonard is survived by his wife, Virginia, daughters Kristin Johnson (Bob Peterson), Jeanne Eull, Karen Buelt (Ken Shokes), Melissa Buelt Gebhardt (David Gebhardt), and son Steven (Tiffanie); grandchildren Tyler Johnson (Christiane), Trent Johnson, Lisa Derby Olejar (Mark Olejar), Erin Stokich (Christopher), Michael Derby (Natalie), Maria Derby (Shawn Davis), Matt Eull (Becca), Aaron Buelt (Rebecca), Hannah Fairchild (Devon), Bethany Benson (Zac), Alexandra Gebhardt, Thomas Gebhardt, and seven great grandchildren Chloe, Zack and Olivia Olejar, Tate, Sophia and Griffin Derby, and Abraham Fairchild.

Visitation will be 5:00-7:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at Czaplewski Family Funeral Home, 501 2 ^nd Street NW in Hayfield and one hour before the service at the church on Thursday.  Rosary will be 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening.

The funeral Mass will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 18, 2019, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 150 2 ^nd Street NE in Hayfield with Father Peter Schuster celebrating.   Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery with military honors by the Hayfield American Legion Rothie Post #330.

Blessed be his memory.