Leander
Leander Wegleitner
LIFE STORY
Leander Wegleitner
Lee grew up on a farm in St. Francis, Minnesota, along with his six brothers and two sisters. He married Pat WensmannWegleitner in 1959. Several years later, they bought a home in Richfield, Minnesota, where they lived for 16 years with their three children, Bonnie, Robert and Jim.
Lee and Pat’s next adventure was to buy a milk-hauling trucking business in Bertha, Minnesota, with Lee’s brother, Joe. They worked hard and the business was successful. After five years, they traded the cold Minnesota winters for sunny Tempe, Arizona, in 1984. They then moved to Sun Lakes in 1999.
Lee was a self-taught man, no Google for him. DIY was a way of life, not a trend. He learned to play the concertina, built a pop-up camper with his close friend, Ted, and regularly installed tile flooring with his sons. He enjoyed the fine craft of woodworking, and built dressers for each of his six grandchildren. He made wooden candy canes for all of his neighbors. This earned him the nickname of “Candy Cane Man.” Their street is often referred to as “Candy Cane Lane” at Christmas time because of the seemingly endless amount of candy canes hanging from mailboxes. When he was no longer able to, the grandchildren made them to continue his tradition.
One of Lee’s favorite things to do was to tinker around in the garage and help people fix things. He could fix just about anything. When his garage door was open, neighbors would frequently stop by to borrow tools, ask for advice on their home projects, or just shoot the breeze, which he loved. Despite the fact he did not play golf, Lee loved his Humdinger golf cart, and one of his favorite jobs was working for Horner Golf carts, where he picked up carts to be repaired.
For a man of few words, Lee was quick witted with a good sense of humor. Despite being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2012, his personality did not change. He continued to be kind and gentle, and you could still catch a glimpse of that twinkle in his eyes when he was teasing you. He never got angry and always did what Pat told him with a playful, sarcastic “Okaaay.”
Our Dad was a GREAT husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Lee is survived by his wife Pat of 63 years. 3 children: Bonnie (Gary) Kluempke, Robert (Diane) Wegleitner, and Jim (Theresa) Wegleitner. 6 grandchildren: Scott, Kayla, Amanda, Jessica, Nicole, and Tyler. 5 great-grandchildren: Hailey, Logan, Hannah, Owen, and June. Also survived by 4 brothers: Tony, Joe, Dale, and Darrel, and 2 sisters: Debbie and Denise.
Preceded in death by his parents Tony and Verena, and 2 brothers Ken and David.
Funeral services will be held on May 31, 2022, at 10 a.m.
Saint Juan Diego Catholic Church 3200 S. Cooper Rd. Chandler, AZ 85286. Live Webcast
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:
Hospice of the Valley
https://www.hov.org/
Neighbors Who Care
https://neighborswhocare.com
Leander Wegleitner
Lee grew up on a farm in St. Francis, Minnesota, along with his six brothers and two sisters. He married Pat WensmannWegleitner in 1959. Several years later, they bought a home in Richfield, Minnesota, where they lived for 16 years with their three children, Bonnie, Robert and Jim.
Lee and Pat’s next adventure was to buy a milk-hauling trucking business in Bertha, Minnesota, with Lee’s brother, Joe. They worked hard and the business was successful. After five years, they traded the cold Minnesota winters for sunny Tempe, Arizona, in 1984. They then moved to Sun Lakes in 1999.
Lee was a self-taught man, no Google for him. DIY was a way of life, not a trend. He learned to play the concertina, built a pop-up camper with his close friend, Ted, and regularly installed tile flooring with his sons. He enjoyed the fine craft of woodworking, and built dressers for each of his six grandchildren. He made wooden candy canes for all of his neighbors. This earned him the nickname of “Candy Cane Man.” Their street is often referred to as “Candy Cane Lane” at Christmas time because of the seemingly endless amount of candy canes hanging from mailboxes. When he was no longer able to, the grandchildren made them to continue his tradition.
One of Lee’s favorite things to do was to tinker around in the garage and help people fix things. He could fix just about anything. When his garage door was open, neighbors would frequently stop by to borrow tools, ask for advice on their home projects, or just shoot the breeze, which he loved. Despite the fact he did not play golf, Lee loved his Humdinger golf cart, and one of his favorite jobs was working for Horner Golf carts, where he picked up carts to be repaired.
For a man of few words, Lee was quick witted with a good sense of humor. Despite being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2012, his personality did not change. He continued to be kind and gentle, and you could still catch a glimpse of that twinkle in his eyes when he was teasing you. He never got angry and always did what Pat told him with a playful, sarcastic “Okaaay.”
Our Dad was a GREAT husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Lee is survived by his wife Pat of 63 years. 3 children: Bonnie (Gary) Kluempke, Robert (Diane) Wegleitner, and Jim (Theresa) Wegleitner. 6 grandchildren: Scott, Kayla, Amanda, Jessica, Nicole, and Tyler. 5 great-grandchildren: Hailey, Logan, Hannah, Owen, and June. Also survived by 4 brothers: Tony, Joe, Dale, and Darrel, and 2 sisters: Debbie and Denise.
Preceded in death by his parents Tony and Verena, and 2 brothers Ken and David.
Funeral services will be held on May 31, 2022, at 10 a.m.
Saint Juan Diego Catholic Church 3200 S. Cooper Rd. Chandler, AZ 85286. Live Webcast
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:
Hospice of the Valley
https://www.hov.org/
Neighbors Who Care
https://neighborswhocare.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Leander Wegleitner, please visit our flower store.
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