Leonard Louis Gehlsen

Leonard L. Gehlsen, our beloved husband, brother, father, grandfather and friend, passed away peacefully after a long illness on Saturday, October 26, 2024 in Ft. Worth, Texas at the age of 79. Born February 11, 1945 in Valentine, Nebraska to Carl and Josephine Gehlsen, he lived a full life and was loved by all who knew him.

Leonard is survived by his devoted wife of 58 years, Rita; his children, Steve Gehlsen, Paula Wade, Karen Allen and six grandchildren (Eddie, Emily, Jacob, Jacy, Caris, Josh), step-grandson Daniel Wade and Daniel’s five children; Leonard’s siblings, Bob Gehlsen, Ritamarie Stafford (Dec’d), Rose Ann Jones, Bernadette Reagle , Joan Mullins, and Carl Gehlsen, Jr (Speed); and his many in-laws, nieces and nephews.

Leonard graduated from Mission High School, Mission, South Dakota in 1963. He and his siblings were raised on a ranch in Mission and he would most certainly have stayed and lived a rancher’s life in South Dakota. However, it became clear that allergies would make it difficult for him to do that. Instead, he attended Humboldt Institute Airline Training School in Minneapolis, MN. Upon graduation, Ozark Airlines flew him to six Ozark stations where he could take his pick for permanent employment. He chose Decatur, Illinois. Leonard loved working for Ozark and some of his closest friends were the guys he worked with there.

While working in Decatur, he married Rita (Freehill) in 1966. Just thirty days after getting married, Leonard was drafted into the United States Army. He served his first year of service at various army bases around the states. After he completed his training in 1967, he was deployed to Vietnam. He served one year at Tan Son Nhut Air Base as a Specialist 4th Class where he would receive coded messages through Morse Code. Upon returning to Decatur in 1968 after he finished his deployment, he resumed working at Ozark.

In 1974, Leonard, Rita and their three kids relocated to Grapevine, Texas. Leonard continued working for Ozark at DFW National Airport. He began working for TWA Airlines in 1986 when TWA bought out Ozark and eventually retired from American Airlines in 2003.

Leonard loved hunting and fishing, but hunting most of all. One of his favorite things to do was to spend time with his buddies at their deer lease in Breckinridge, Texas. When he wasn’t watching baseball or football, He was in his shop doing woodworking, mostly turning objects on a lathe. We have many beautiful and treasured art pieces done by Leonard.

Leonard could do anything! He could fix anything (or figure a way around). He was kept busy working on cars, the yard, the house. He was selfless in taking care of his family. One of Rita’s favorite memories is that when the kids were in school, and she was working 9-5, Leonard would pick the kids up from school, get them started on their homework, and would have dinner on the table at 6:00. He did that for many years.

Visitation will be Sunday, November 3rd from 7-9pm at Foust Funeral Home, 523 South Main Street, Grapevine, Texas.

Funeral services will be held at St. Francis Catholic Church, 861 Wildwood, Grapevine, Texas on Monday, November 4th at 11:00am.

Interment will be at DFW National Cemetery at a later date.

In Lieu of Flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the James L. West Center for Dementia. Donations can be made in person at 1111 Summit Avenue, Fort Worth, TX 76102, or on the website at: www.jameslwest.org/donate-now/