Leon O. Steinbach

Obituary

Leon Otto Steinbach was born on March 26, 1946, at Loretto Hospital in New Ulm, Minnesota. Early in his life, he lived at the first family home, which was located in rural Fairfax, Minnesota. In 1950, his parents Otto and Stefana “Steffie” (Klossner) Steinbach bought land in Collins Township, which became the family farm. Leon lived on this farm for the rest of his life, until he passed away on January 13, 2026.

In his early years, Leon was baptized at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Fairfax, and had his first communion and confirmation at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Stewart, Minnesota. He went to the parochial school in Stewart, starting in first grade. According to his report cards, he got respectable grades. He had good marks, with notes of having excellent handwriting and that his behavior was also excellent. While in parochial school, Leon went to church five days a week, as well as Sundays with the family.

Leon was born with some cognitive challenges. He ultimately went to Mayo Clinic and had some treatments to try to address these issues. Unfortunately, the treatments caused some permanent changes and he was not the same person afterwards. He needed to quit school and needed care, which was provided first by his parents, and later by his siblings and some kind caregivers. Although Leon had these challenges, he still had a very purposeful, meaningful life and had a kind, giving heart.

Leon was a hard worker, as he worked on the family farm. He did many chores helping care for livestock, including dairy cattle, beef cattle, chickens, geese, and some hogs. He also helped care for pets around the farm, including a number of dogs, and the cats, whom he really seemed to care for deeply. Leon also did some fieldwork, including tillage and cultivating, and did a lot of hay and straw baling, working out in the heat and humidity, often exceeding 100 degrees on hot summer July days. Leon always took the responsibility for getting the mail, and enjoyed walking down the long driveway to the mailbox or riding in his small utility vehicle.

Leon enjoyed spending time with and thinking about family. He enjoyed seeing his nieces and nephews when they were little, and really liked when they visited when they were older. Leon would always remember their birthdays and would often send birthday cards to them with a gift. In fact, Leon would often share when birthdays of more distant cousins and other family members occurred as well, reflective of his strong memory.

Leon also enjoyed going on short trips to Stewart, Hutchinson, Glencoe and other nearby communities to see what was new, or around the rural areas to visit family, friends, and neighbors. He liked going out to eat with Otto and Steffie, and later with his siblings and his caregivers. His favorite restaurants were local cafes, Dairy Queen, and Culver's, where he would enjoy his favorite meal, mashed potatoes and a hamburger.

For recreation, Leon enjoyed going fishing with Otto at local lakes. Leon had several TV shows he liked to watch, including Judge Judy, Dr. Phil, cartoons, the news, and of course, the weather. He also often enjoyed listening to the radio while he was resting in his room.

For those who knew Leon well, he had several memorable phrases; "I don't know about that", "Keep still", "You do it", "What are you doing here again?", "You went far enough", "How much longer?", "I'm not", "The h*** with you", "Just forget about it", and "I can't do it." Leon also had a little touch of mischief. In several cases, one would have a discussion with Leon that maybe he shouldn't do something. If you walked away for 30 minutes and then returned, one would find that he would go and do it anyway, and would then give you a little grin.

Leon helped care for the people in his life, including watching out for his young nieces and nephews and other children when they visited the farm, making sure they didn't end up in the pasture with the bulls, didn't touch the electric fences, and stayed away from the farm equipment. Leon helped care for his mom and dad as their health declined in their later years, and was a key reason why they were able to live in their home until the ends of their lives, which was an incredible gift to them.

Leon passed away at age 79 years and 293 days. Even though his health was deteriorating the past 10 months, he was able to remain in his home which brought him comfort and enabled him to pass away peacefully. Leon's next phase is eternal life.

Leon is survived by his:
Brother, James 'Jim' Steinbach (Pam Markwood and her family) and his sons, Andy and Adam;
Sisters, Rita Mortensen and her daughters, Michele and Angela;
Betty Schofield and her children, Kara and Eric;
and several grand nieces and nephews.

Leon is preceded in death by his Parents, Otto and Stephana Steinbach; Brother, Grant Steinbach; Brother-in-law, Glen Schofield.