Leonard Ingolf Landa

Leonard Landa – farm kid, educator, park ranger, accomplished financial professional, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, avid golfer, skier, lover of cars and car shows, community leader, storyteller and the most loyal friend to those he loved – passed away from complications of COVID-19 on the evening of December 18, in Phoenix with his wife by his side holding his hand.

He’d turned 80 on November 11th and he and his wife, Barbara, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on December 2nd.

Coffee and Camaraderie

To say he was a people person would be a huge understatement; he would talk to anyone. Chances are pretty good you weren’t going to make a trip down an elevator with others aboard where he didn’t engage someone. Give him a group of friends, coffee, a pastry and he would be set for hours of conversation. As the youngest son who moved to Phoenix a few years back and have spent lots of time with my folks, I’d come to believe this was what fed his soul. Even when he wasn’t having his best days the past couple of years, he’d get a phone call from one of his buddies (men and women) from the good old days, and he would light up like he was back in college.

The Early Years

Leonard was born in Hamilton, Montana and grew up in southwest North Dakota on a farm that his Norwegian grandparents had homesteaded in 1906. He and his two brothers grew up in the same house as did his mother and her siblings. He went to a one-room school on the prairie for the first eight years where one teacher taught all grades and all subjects. There were three students in Leonard’s class. He went to high school in Scranton, graduating in 1958. He was active in 4-H, attended Union Prairie Church with his family and many neighbors and attended Dickinson State College where he earned a degree in education.

The Love of His Life

For 60 years Barbara and Leonard Landa were inseparable. They solidified their love for each other while attending Dickinson State, marrying December 2, 1961, started a family (Chris and Robert) and were off on their own adventure – with the farm in the rear view mirror, but still deeply rooted in his heart. They ventured to Montana to teach, ending up in Columbia Falls. For three summers Leonard worked as a Park Ranger in Glacier National Park, with one chapter of that service being captured in the book - The Night of the Grizzly – the true story that would inspire the National Park Service to forever change its standards and protocols to keep Grizzley’s and park guests at a distance. The book’s author, Jack Olsen, described him as “Hollywood Ranger, Leonard Landa”.

They ventured from Columbia Falls to Missoula where they quickly found friends, many that they still have today. They got involved in Jaycees, Kiwanis and Emanual Lutheran Church, where both Chris and I were confirmed and Chris was married to his wife Shari.

They were set in Missoula, but found their own little spot at King’s Point on Flathead Lake to spend summer weekends. I can still see my dad sitting on the back of the driver’s seat of the boat, looking over the windshield and out across the water.

The Professional

Remember at the beginning of this when I said, Leonard was a people person? Is it any wonder he would enter the professional world of insurance and financial services and it would instantly stick. An almost perfect fit; a job where he could make a living and constantly be meeting new people. He worked several years for various companies and then started his own agency where he would flourish. We were all very proud when Leonard received his Chartered Life Underwriter designation, one of the first in Montana to achieve this status.

Leonard mixed his professional career with that of family and community. He served on the church board, the Missoula County School Board, the St. Patrick’s Hospital Foundation, the Dickinson State University Alumni advisory board, Dickinson State Foundation, and as a member of President’s Advisory Council at the University of Montana. As part of his involvement with the University, Leonard and Barbara were often hosted in the University President’s box for Grizzly football games. Now, I sat in on a few of them, and I do believe he was a big fan of the Grizzly’s, but again, he was an even bigger fan of who he might meet and talk to in the box on any given game day.

Heart Surgery and a Big Change in Life

In his mid 50’s Leonard underwent triple by-pass surgery. A scary moment in time, but one that would be the catalyst for something big – splitting their time between Arizona and Montana. To be active, Leonard wanted to be where he could play golf year round, and the sunshine did wonders for his mood. They would make a whole new set of friends – ironically, many of them Midwest farmers and farm kids themselves – who were also spending the winters in the sun.

The Mandatories

Proceeded in death by his parents, Ingolf and Nora (Maurud) Landa. Survived by wife Barbara Landa (Phoenix), sons Robert Landa (Phoenix), Chris Landa and wife Shari (Seattle), grandchildren Ricky, Erica and Bianca, great-granddaughter Stella, brothers Duane and wife Sharre (Frisco, TX), James (Dallas), nieces Lenora (Mathew) Prichard (Keller, TX) and Laura (Bradley) Huff (Frisco, TX) and Barbara’s brother Mike Leonard, and sisters Lana Peterson and Jean Dietz and their families with several nieces and nephews.

In Remembrance

Although Leonard lived in Montana the majority of his life, he always felt a close connection to the North Dakota prairie. To remember him, we ask that you make a donation in his name to the Pioneer Trails Regional Museum in Bowman. The Museum not only serves to preserve the history and culture of the area, they have played an integral part in the maintenance of the Union Prairie Church, the rural church Leonard attended with his parents, but also the church that his grandparents founded.

Please note Leonard Landa when sending your gift to: Pioneer Trails Regional Museum, 12 First Avenue Northwest, PO Box 78, Bowman, ND 58623

A celebration of life will be held sometime in the future when friends and family can gather together.