Leonard Ervin Walde was born on November 15, 1929, in Denison, Iowa, the 7th of 13 children born to Lillian (Ruberg) and William Walde. He was baptized December 30, 1929, at Zion Lutheran Church in Denison and confirmed in 9th grade where he continued as a member until his death. He attended country school East Boyer No. 8 for grades 1-8 and then one year of high school in Denison. He helped his parents with farming until he was drafted into the Army in 1951. His training involved Camp Gordon, Georgia, for basic training, then to Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey and Ft. Sheridan, Illinois. His field was Field Radio Repair and Radar Repair.
On October 24, 1954, he married Ruth Wellendorf, daughter of Mangus and Erma (Henningsen) Wellendorf. They were married for 35 years until her death in 1989. He worked as a repairman for TVs and radios in Denison until he entered farming with Ruth's dad. He shelled corn for many farmers throughout the years. On July 24, 1993, he married Shirley (Koch) Lenz of Westside, Iowa. Leonard enjoyed tinkering on almost anything he could fix. He also enjoyed traveling to many places in the states and also foreign travel with family members. He was honored to be a part of the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. in May 2017. One of his greatest joys in retirement was working alongside Rick Lenz with heavy machinery.
He is survived by his wife, Shirley Walde; his remaining siblings, Gladys Hagny of Gettysburg, South Dakota, and Marilyn Yoakum of Russell, Iowa. Shirley's family, Rodney and Tina Lenz of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Wanda Conway of Webster City, Iowa, Rick Lenz of Westside; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Jolene Meyer and Betty Maasen; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Ruth Walde; siblings, Walter, Virgil, Edward, Raymond, LaDonna, Ruby Jahn, Helen Hinze, Lillian Fastenau, Marlene Brudenell, and Wilma Walde; son-in-law, Craig Conway; and a host of other relatives and friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Zion Lutheran Church in Denison.