Obituary for Leopold ASPENLEITER (2021) – Spokane, WA

ASPENLEITER, Leopold “Leo” 1931-2021 Leo Aspenleiter passed away on Friday, April 16, 2021 at the Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, WA after a long but determined battle against various health problems. Leo was born on December 16, 1931 in Speyer / Speier, Ukraine, southern Russia (Soviet Union) as the son of Jakob and Emilie (née Schanz) Aspenleiter. Leo married Margaret (Marge) Ridl on August 30, 1956 in Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in New Hradec, ND immediately moved to Spokane to build their life together and raise their four children for 65 years. The survival of the Holodomor (also known as the “Terror Famine” or “Great Famine”) and the Bolshevik-Communist regime that killed his grandfather Valentin, father Jakob, and numerous other family members, Leo and mother Emilie, narrowly escaped Ukraine Hundreds of kilometers on foot and cattle train with bombs exploding around them, they finally made it through Poland and into Germany in the middle of World War II. After the war, but before coming to the USA, Leo had started his training in printing in Ansbach under the direction of master printer Michael Schraut, who introduced a certain discipline that was required to produce a product of the highest quality. After four years of training in the printer’s trade, Leo received his diploma as a full-fledged typesetter and printer in Nuremberg in 1951. 1951 was roughly the time that Leo, now living in the American Zone in Germany, began reading about the United States in German newspapers and magazines. “I knew from what I heard and read that true freedom lies in America,” he recalled. “And soon I realized there was only one thing to come to the US.” Leo arrived in New York Harbor on November 17, 1951, where he caught his first glimpse of the impressive “Statue of Liberty” that would be the gateway to his beginning of a new and prosperous life. Immediately after arriving in the US and taking the train to Mandan, North Dakota, Leo, his mother Emilie, and his sister Lydia first met Matt and Barbara Geiger, who were the sponsors of the three. Barbara Geiger was also Leo’s first cousin. Leo stayed in Mandan for three days when he found out he could get work at North Dakota Herold, a German weekly newspaper in Dickinson, ND. He worked there as a proofreader and wrote editorially. During his time there and during his military service, he was the author of over 40 articles. Leo was a prolific political writer who also wrote many articles for the Staatszeitung and Herold, a German newspaper in New York City. During their stay in Dickinson, Leo and his family lived with the Nick and Barabra Muth families south of Dickinson, North Dakota. After working for the North Dakota Herald for two months, Leo returned to Mandan, where he got a job with the Daily Pioneer, an English newspaper. “Then I must have learned English quickly,” commented Leo. “There I hired the English guy without speaking English.” About 9 months after arriving in the US, Leo was drafted into the US Army for a two-year engagement, where he learned much of his English, earned his US citizenship, which he did on November 24, 1953, and learned what to do that is, citizens of a free country were really all about. After an honorable discharge from the special forces of the US Army from 1952 to 1958 (2 years active, 4 years reserve) as sergeant, Leo set out for East Washington, where his mother remarried and lived in Burbank. Leo wanted to go to a school near where he lived, so he went looking for one. “I soon became convinced that Gonzaga could give me the education it took to be a good Christian journalist,” he said. While studying at Gonzaga University, Leo would soon find a job in the university’s printing house under Father Dr. Timothy O’Leary. Relatives in Spokane – Margaret and Katie Deutsch’s family would provide Leo a warm place to live while studying. After working for Gonzaga University Press for many years, Leo made an offer to buy the print shop from the university after the university showed interest in closing the print shop. From 1975 the Gonzaga University Press became the “University Press”, which is now owned by Leo and Marge Aspenleiter. Most of the family spent long hours working hard to make the business successful. After University Press bought two lots for a good deal on the corner and Sharp Ave and Ruby St. in 1984 and built its own 8,000 square foot building, University Press moved from the rented building in Gonzaga to the new modern building that was there until 1998 stayed closed and sold much of the equipment to a Billings, MT printer and one in North Idaho. The building was bought from a developer in Spokane. Leo worked from his home office for another 18 years as a graphic designer under the new company name “Leo Aspenleiter Graphics Designer” creating calendars, logos and other high quality graphic designs for high-tech companies like Hi-Rel Laboratories. Leo was preceded in death by his parents, his paternal grandparents Valentin and Magdalena (née Schaaf) Aspenleiter, his maternal grandparents Michael and Franziska (née Marsal) Schanz, his sisters Magdalena Krempin (Aspenleiter), Rosa Lebsack (Aspenleiter), Lydia Henne ( Aspenleiter), his brothers Jakob Aspenleiter and Arthur Aspenleiter. Leo is survived in Spokane by his wife Marge Aspenleiter. His children include Barb Huntley (Paul) in Livingston, MT; Rich Aspenleiter (Gayla) in Spokane and Leo’s granddaughter – Allison (Lucas) Merrill in West Plains, Missouri with Leo’s great-grandson Kendra Wallin (with Leo’s great-great-grandson – Paidyn Wallin-Didier and Easton Del Angel) in Pasco, WA, Sophia Grose, Autumn, Emilie, Victoria, and Luciana Merrill in West Plains, MO; Leo’s grandson Ryan Aspenleiter in Spokane with Leo’s great-grandson Evan and Jordan Aspenleiter in Deer Park, WA; Leo’s granddaughter, Becca Aspenleiter in Spokane, WA; Tim Aspenleiter (Lori) in Spokane, WA with Leo’s granddaughter Amy Gilbert (Terrance) and Leo’s great-grandson Elijah, Kai’Ella and La’Mya Gilbert in Spokane, WA, Leo’s grandson Jacob Aspenleiter (Kathleen) with Leo’s great-grandson Leo Aspenleiter in Spokane, WA; and Laurie Ann Ward in Spokane, WA. The family would especially like to thank the family friend, Romana, the veterans administration and all the Visiting Angels supervisors who were so important in caring for Leo in the last years of his life. The tour is Tuesday, April 27, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Holy Cross Funeral and Cemetery in the Mausoleum at 7200 N. Wall Street. The funeral mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 28th at 2 p.m. in the Catholic Church of St. Aloysius 330 E. Boone, followed by a reception. The announcement will be made at the funeral. The funeral will take place on Thursday April 29th at 2:30 p.m. in the Holy Cross Funeral and Cemetery. The funeral will be streamed here – https://stalschurch.org/mass-livestream/ with a recording made available to those interested. In lieu of flowers, consider donating to St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Spokane, Washington, or the Spokane Humane Society at https://spokanehumanesociety.org/donate/ in memory of Leo Aspenleiter or the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity pull at http://ronpaulinstitute.org/support/ Online honors can be made at www.holycrossofspokane.org.

Posted in Spokesman Review April 21-25, 2021.