Leo Hecker, 89, passed away on October 13, 2019 at Sheyenne Valley Care Center in Valley City, ND. He was born January 11, 1930.
He was raised on a farm in Billings County. He grew up with eight brothers and sisters. He was busy and worked hard his whole life, but there were fun times spent rodeoing with relatives and friends. He joined the Marine Corps. After his discharge, he worked as a ranch hand in Montana and in Billings County for many years.
He retired at the VA Center in Lisbon. He was artistic; he worked on many wood and leather projects while there. Probably his favorite project was assembling poppies for the American Legion Auxiliary. He made many thousands of them; they were distributed throughout the state. He was at the Sheyenne Valley Care Center in Valley City for the last couple years.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Monica; by his brothers, Andrew, Theodore, Bernard, Henry and his sister, Henrietta Wanner; also by his brothers-in-law, Ray Boltz and Fred Wanner; and by his sisters-in-law, Kathryn and Lillian.
He is survived by two sisters: Lydia Boltz(Dickinson) and Elvira Schuster(Minot), by his brother, Adam(Dickinson), also by his brother-in-law, Sylvester Schuster(Minot). He was dearly loved by his many nieces and nephews.
The family wants to thank the Sheyenne Valley Care Center for the kind assistance he received there. Thanks to Hospice of the Red River Valley. Also thanks to the many friends, cousins and relatives who visited him and prayed with him throughout the years. He was a wonderful person and he was a powerful influence for good in our lives.
He will be buried at the Veteran’s Cemetery in Mandan. There will be a Memorial Mass at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Dickinson on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 2:00pm.