Leo Steffen, 87 of Carroll, died Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at his home in Carroll.
Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 22, 2016 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Carroll. The Celebrant will be Fr. Craig Collison, assisted by Deacon Scott Steffen. Music will be by Marcy Anderson and Katie Sparks. Lector for the funeral mass will be Brad Steffen. Gift Bearers will be: Abbey Rock, Ann Steffen, Sarah Steffen, and Karissa White. Casket Bearers will be: Thomas Steffen, Brad Steffen, Mark Steffen, Tyler White, Eric White, Mitchell Sparks, and Kirby Rock. Burial will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Carroll with military honors conducted by the Carroll American Legion.
Friends may call at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll after 4 p.m. on Friday where there will be a rosary at 5 p.m. by the Carroll Knights of Columbus and a Christian Wake Service at 6:30 p.m.
The casket will be moved to St. Lawrence Church on Saturday morning where visitation will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until time of the funeral mass.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for Leo’s family at www.sharpfuneral.com.
Leo was born on July 2, 1929 in Kingsley, Iowa, the son of Bernard and Corsini (Murray) Steffen. At the age of 2, the family moved to Spencer, IA. Leo graduated from Spencer High School in 1948 before attending college earning his BA in education from Wayne State College and his MS in education from Iowa State. Leo married Phyllis Drees on October 15, 1960 at St. Lawrence Church in Carroll and celebrated 56 years of marriage. To this union were four children: Trent, Scott, Raynee, and Janelle.
After teaching in Larrabee, Graettinger, and Onawa he taught Industrial Arts and Driver’s Ed at Carroll High School for 26 of his 32 years while assisting and coaching football, track, and cross country at CHS. Before teaching, Leo was in the Navy, serving from 1951-1954 during the Korean War. He was stationed at Kodiak Naval Air Station, Miramar Air Base, and Washington, D.C. as a photographer during his service years along with the VJ-61 Squadron.
In his free time, when not attending children and grandchildren’s activities, Leo enjoyed golf, fishing, watching football (especially the Hawkeyes), camping and family vacations, woodworking, coaching, coffee with the “men”, and practical jokes. He also enjoyed the perfect split of being ½ German and ½ Irish. He was extremely proud of being part of the American Legion and a member of the Legion’s Color Guard. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, NEA/ISEA, Iowa Driver Education Association, and St. Lawrence Church in Carroll. He was proud of being a published writer in the School Shop Magazine.
Leo is survived by his wife, Phyllis Steffen of Carroll; four children: Trent (Nancy) Steffen of North Carolina, Deacon Scott (Kathy) Steffen of Boone, Raynee (Tony) Sparks of Johnston, Janelle (Jack) White of Michigan; 14 grandchildren: Brooke, Gavin, and Christian Steffen, Brittany (Trey) Walker; Tom (Kelsey), Brad (Clare), Ann, Sarah, and Mark Steffen; Abbey (Kirby)Rock and Mitchell (Katie) Sparks; Tyler, Karissa, and Eric White. He also has two great-grandchildren: Peter Steffen and Jackson Rock. Other survivors include his brother, Kenneth Steffen of Ottumwa, his sister Dottie McEntee of Spencer; his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law: Diane (Ron) Venteicher of Carroll, Lloyd (Mercedes) Drees of Carroll and Bernice Drees of Mapleton; as well as many nieces, nephews, other extended relatives and many friends.
Leo was preceded in death by his parents Bernard and Corsini Steffen; father and mother-in-law, Richard and Leona Drees, brothers Verlin (Bud) and Wyman Steffen.
