Leonard E. Jorgensen, 96, a faithful servant of our Lord and Savior, went to be with his family on October 16th. He was born on the family farm near Flaxton, ND on September 13th, 1930 to John and Alma (Rawn) Jorgenson. In 1934, Leonard became an older brother to twins, Kermit and Harley. The 3 boys were all part of the Jorgensen farming and ranching operation.
Leonard completed his schooling in Flaxton, south of the family farm. He joined the Army in 1951. He started his military service at Fort Sheridan, Illinois and served on different bases throughout the United States before finishing his enlistment in France. Leonard worked as special forces and was very proud of his service. He was honorably discharged in January, 1954.
Leonard attended North Dakota State School of Science from 1955 to 1957, earning a degree in the Auto Mechanics trade program. Leonard loved working on machinery of all types and was particularly proud of his many vehicles, that he drove well into the hundred thousands of miles. It was a bonus if they got good gas mileage!
Leonard worked as a heavy equipment operator, an oil field roughneck and other miscellaneous jobs. He eventually worked at the job that was a true labor of love, God made a Farmer. Leonard enjoyed his many, many years of working the land. Thankfully, the Gunskop family continued to let him go for ride-alongs after he had retired from working his own land.
Leonard took great pleasure in mowing his lawn and often talked about his zero-turn mower. For many years he kept the cemetery where his family lays to rest looking great. When asked if he needed help with the mowing, his response was always, “why would you deprive me of something I love?”
Leonard was very proud of his extended family and enjoyed spending time visiting them. He loved the Plambeck Family Reunions and rarely, if ever, missed one. He enjoyed having Patrick Rawn spend summers with him, teaching him about cars, farming, and how to be a man. Whenever he had a computer question, his go to call was to Kristine Brown. That usually just ended with no help, but a meal, coffee and a long visit was had.
Leonard is survived by Harley’s family and numerous cousins.