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Visitation:
Faith Lutheran Church from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Friday,
January 5, 2018 and one hour prior to the services
on Saturday
Service:
10:00 a.m. Saturday, January 6 at the church
Funeral home:
Fricke-Calvert-Schrader, Lincoln
Mount Pulaski
Obituary
Paul Edwin “Pud” Leesman, 91, of
Hartsburg, passed away at 7:35 p.m. on December 31,
2017 at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in
Lincoln.
His funeral will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, January
6 at Faith Lutheran Church, Lincoln with Rev. Mark
Peters officiating. Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral
Home, Lincoln, is assisting the family with
arrangements. Visitation will be at Faith Lutheran
Church from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Friday, January 5,
2018 and one hour prior to the services. Interment
will be at Hartsburg Union Cemetery with military
rites accorded. Memorials may be made to Faith
Lutheran Church Educational Resources and Camp
Griesheim Christian Retreat Center, Atlanta.
Paul was born August 13, 1926, in Hartsburg, the son
of Claus and Kathryn (Glick) Leesman. His inherent
love for family and farming began with his birth on
the kitchen table at the family farm. He was the
second youngest of their five children. He married
Marcia Joyce Klemm, March 25, 1950, in Atlanta. She
preceded him in death January 10, 1985. He married
Geraldine Ruben Liesman, December 12, 1985. She
preceded him in death December 23, 1997.
Also preceding him in death were his parents, one
brother, two sisters, and two step-sisters. His
mother passing away when he was age seven changed
his life and developed his strong sense of
responsibility and sensitivity to the needs of
others at a young age, which continued through his
life. Surviving are two children Karen (Robert)
Cullen, Bloomington, and Kevin (Joyce) Leesman,
Hartsburg; five grandchildren, Keenan (Alexis), Kent
(Ally) and Kory (Lyndi) Leesman, all of Hartsburg;
William Cullen, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Kathryn
Cullen (fiancé Seth Stalter), Bloomington; six
great-grandchildren; two step-children, Aaron
(Joyce) Liesman and Jill (Paul) Kastner; five
step-grandchildren, Adam Liesman, Chatham, Rachel
Liesman, Kansas City, Tara (Matt) Comstock, Ali
(Ryan) Williams, Lincoln, and Kyle (Caroline) Hower,
Springfield; six step-great-grandchildren; one
brother, Lloyd, Lincoln; a brother-in-law, Wendell
Cross; and a sister-in-law, Irma Leesman, both of
Hartsburg. He dearly loved his 28 nieces and
nephews.
Paul graduated from Hartsburg-Emden High School in
1944 having enjoyed playing point guard for their
basketball teams. Following his two-year U.S. Army
service in the Philippines at the end of WWII, he
graduated from Lincoln College in 1949, where he
also played basketball. He had planned to continue
his education in agriculture at the University of
Illinois, but an opportunity arose to farm on his
own east of Hartsburg. His passion to farm began at
age four helping his father with harvest by
following the wagon and tossing in ears of corn that
were missed. In 2010 he was recognized for 60
continuous years of harvest since beginning his
independent farming career. Having begun farming
with horses and progressing to GPS-guided tractors,
Pud remained actively engaged on the grain and
livestock farm with his son and grandson until he
was 89 years old.
Appreciative of his own quality education, Paul
served on the Hartsburg-Emden School Board for 15
years, eight as president, and then served as an
elected representative for Logan County on the
Regional Board of School Trustees for Logan, Mason
and Menard Counties for 20 years. His final
community service was on the Hartsburg State Bank
Board of Directors for 25 years, following in the
footsteps of his father and grandfather.
Paul was a leader and active member of St. John’s
Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hartsburg, for most of
his life and was the first child baptized in their
new church in 1926. Later in life he attended Faith
Lutheran Church, Lincoln, where he thoroughly
enjoyed being fed spiritually through the hearing
and study of God’s Word in many great discussions at
Sunday School. He treasured and was devoted to his
faith, and it served as an anchor throughout his
life. One of his many daily prayers was that his
children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren
would have faith in Jesus Christ and the promise of
eternal life in heaven. His family is blessed to
have inherited this legacy of faith and is certain
that he is now with his Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. We all look forward to an eternal reunion
with him.
Pud was a pillar of strength in his family, church
and community. He will be dearly missed for his
moral character, loving devotion to family, strong
work ethic, fun-loving disposition, wise counsel and
generous spirit. He treasured many relationships
with people of all ages and never met a stranger.
With a strong “can do” approach to life, he seldom
complained and always saw the positive outcome, no
matter the circumstances. His family wishes to thank
the staff of St. Clara’s Manor and Abraham Lincoln
Memorial Hospital, Lincoln for their compassionate
care and all who made visits or sent cards.
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