Leonard Joseph Kuckelman, passed away peacefully on November 5, 2021 at the age of 97. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 69 years, Elizabeth (Betty) Kearns Kuckelman. Son of the late John Francis Kuckelman and Margaret Sauer Kuckelman, and brother of the late Karl Kuckelman, Helen Thompson, John Kuckelman, and Gerard Kuckelman. He is survived by his daughter, Jane Ann Kuckelman Frosch (Craig), two grandsons, Jon Edmond Frosch (Jennifer), and Zachary Paul Frosch (Candace), two great-grandsons, Simon and Louis Frosch, two brothers, Donald Kuckelman and Claire Kuckelman, and many nieces and nephews. He was born in Effingham, Kansas, and lived there through high school. He served in the 689th Field Artillery Battalion attached to the 3rd Army during World War II, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. In 2014 he received the French Legion of Honor Award for his service to France during the war. After returning home from Europe he married, and served as a freight solicitor for several railroads including the Frisco, the Chicago Great Western, and the Chicago Northwestern, while living in Kansas City, Los Angeles, Medford, Oregon, and finally in New Orleans. Upon retirement, he and Betty loved to travel, square dance, and take care of their grandsons. He spent many happy hours working in his yard, and taking long walks with his boys. He had a special gift for storytelling and spent many hours telling all of us his stories from growing up in rural Kansas with his brothers and sister, and tales of his Army service and the Battle of the Bulge. It seemed like there was always another story, and new details he would remember, but it is still unsettled whether that Chevrolet truck his dad owned was black or blue. He will be sorely missed. Relatives and friends are invited to attend funeral services on Thursday, November 18 at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70124. Visitation will begin at 9:00 am followed by a funeral Mass at 11:00 am.
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