2023 LEISZ FAMILY REUNION IN TURTLE LAKE, WISCONSIN—A BIG SUCCESS!
Farm family
Leisz Brother Frank with his family, at their farm house in Turtle Lake, Wis., circa 1922. From left: Wife Barbara Donaker Leisz (1877-1950), Frank (1875-1949), daughter Louise "Lucy" Katherine Leisz Baltozer (1912-1998), Mary Donaker, son Frank Jr. (1900-1931) and son Joseph Frank Leisz (1906-1962). Mary Donaker was an unmarried relative, possibly a sister of Barbara Leisz Donaker. A hired hand, she lived with the Leisz's as part of their family.Photo courtesy of Robert Leisz (b. 1966) of Denver, great-grandson of Frank.
memories of Frank
Miss you
"I will always miss Grandma and Grandpa Leisz, I lived close to them for over 17 years until Grandpa died in 1949. Grandma went to live with her daughter in Canada and died in 1950. I moved to Minneapolis."
- GRANDDAUGHTER ARLENE LEISZ NELSON, daughter of Mike Leisz and Ione M. Lamere Leisz, Aug. 2002
Birthday and death day
"Grandpa Frank died on my 4th birthday 10-22-49."
- ALLEN JOSEPH LEISZ, son of Mike Leisz and Ione M. Lamere Leisz, Aug. 2002
Canadian Leisz cousins
Descendants of Leisz Brother Frank coming to Sep. 2018 Family Reunion!
Children of Leisz Brothers Frank (1875-1949) and Joseph (1868-1942) gather to celebrate the wedding day of Frank's granddaughter Barbara Gail Podd (b. 1939) to Bill Brubacher on June 25, 1966.
Barbara Gail Podd Brubacher is coming to our reunion in September, along with her sister Sandra Podd Carelius—who is traveling all the way from her home in British Columbia!
Leisz family members are (from left)
- The bride's maternal aunt, Gladys Agnes Cardinal Leisz (1907-1988), daughter-in-law of Frank, and widow of Frank's son Joseph Frank (1906-1962).
- Emerick Lucas and wife Mary "Marie" Leisz Waters Lucas (1902-1984); Marie is the eldest child of Leisz Brother Joseph and first cousin to the bride's mother Marion Leisz Podd.
- The bride's maternal Uncle Tony Leisz (1902-1966) and his wife Mildred Isabel Rudd Leisz
- Groom Bill Brubacher
- Bride Gail Podd Brubacher (b. 1939)
- The bride's mother, Mary "Marion" Leisz Podd (1903-1982), daughter of Leisz Brother Frank
- and Marion's first cousins, Josephine Leisz Craven (1918-2009) and Anna Leisz Linden (1903-1978); both Josephine and Anna are daughters of Leisz Brother Joseph
Canadian cousins coming to the Reunion
The above bride today—Barbara Gail Podd Brubacher and her sister Mary Sandra Emmaline Podd Carelius. Both are granddaughters of Leisz Brother Frank. Their mother was Frank's daughter Mary "Marion" Leisz Podd, who married Lancelot James "Lance" "Sonny" Podd.
Both are traveling from their homes in Canada to be at the 2018 "Homeward Bound" Leisz Family Reunion, Sep. 27-30 in Turtle Lake, Wis.
When Marion's father Frank died on October 22, 1949, her widowed mother Barbara Donaker Leisz moved to Canada to live with Marion and her family until Barbara passed away on September 27, 1950.
Idea from Sandra Carelius
Repurposing antique cutlery
Sandra Podd Carelius, granddaughter of Leisz Brother Frank, has a great idea for what to do with an excess of antique cutlery. At left are some pieces of jewelry that Sandra had made for herself from her mother’s cutlery. She also had a set made for her sister Gail Podd Brubacher, Gail's two girls and Sandra's daughter. "Maybe this will give someone an idea of what to do with inherited cutlery," says Sandra. "I have told so many people about this and people seem excited about it."
Have an idea for how to use inherited treasures?
Contact us through this website, or email us at leiszreunion@gmail.com with your ideas, and we'll publish them here.
More about our cousin Allen Leisz
Al passed away January 16th, 2021
PHOTO ABOVE: Allen Leisz as a teenager, circa 1960, working in the dairy barn at the farm of Wayne Nykanen (left) and his son Jerry.
“I am so deeply saddened to hear that Al eventually succumbed to his COPD. I had a very nice visit with him at the 2018 reunion. We shared our love for libraries…Thanks to our Leisz Family Reunions I was able to know him. This is yet another example of the abundant blessings that our reunions have brought to us all.” - Tony Minnichsoffer, Allen’s 2nd cousin 1x removed
Allen Joseph Leisz passed away on the evening of Saturday, January 16th, 2021 at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin from a lengthy illness of congestive heart failure. He was 75 years old.
One Leisz cousin recalled telephoning Allen a few days before he was hospitalized, and the two talked for quite awhile. “We had a good conversation,” he said, recalling that Allen sounded good at that time, just days before his death. His mind was sharp but his body was failing.
Allen was born on October 22, 1945, the fifth of six children of Ione Marie LaMere Leisz and Michael Leisz. He grew up in the Village of Turtle Lake and attended Turtle Lake schools. Allen went on to work at the Turtle Lake Creamery, Clayton Cheese Factory, and construction in the Twin Cities.
A benefactor of local organizations and those in need, Allen supported the Turtle Lake Public Library with a financial donation towards its recent relocation. He supported the Turtle Lake Museum and other causes. He also drove citizens to local polling sites on election days.
Allen’s generous donation to the 2018 Leisz Family Reunion enabled purchase of a new headstone for the family’s matriarch, Anna Maria “Mary” Schmidt Leisz (1840-1918), an early settler of Turtle Lake. Her son Frank Leisz was Allen’s grandfather, who passed away on Allen’s 4th birthday in 1949.
Allen was well known to many Turtle Lake residents. He was a gregarious extrovert who never hesitated to tell a story or strike up a conversation with others. Allen especially enjoyed the two Leisz family reunions in 2002 and 2018, where he met over 100 cousins from all over the country.
Allen was a cornerstone of planning the Leisz family reunions, given his in-depth knowledge of Turtle Lake, its history and citizens. His memory was sharp as a tack and he was called upon to share these memories in a video documentary project by Turtle Lake grade school students to record the history of the village.
Allen was preceded in death by his parents and brothers Jerome Paul Leisz and Laurent Michael Leisz, and former spouse Deanne. Surviving Allen are sisters Mary Kay Leisz Ramnarine, Arlene Marie Leisz Nelson, and Joann Theresa Leisz Sollman, plus many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Allen will be laid to rest at St. Ann’s Cemetery in Turtle Lake. Professional services were provided by the Skinner Funeral Home.
In Allen's words
Allen's parents Mike and Ione Lamere Leisz were married on December 26, 1931. The couple divorced after having six children, and Mike died in 962 at the age of 54.
After the couple's divorce, Ione supported the younger children who were still at home. "l was youngest of boys, some of kids out of the house already," said Al in April 2017. "I didn’t have much of a childhood.”
Continued Al, "My mom made bed sheets out of flour sacks, and she had a hair style room before you needed a license to support herself and us kids remaining at home. I helped out by picking pickles, picking potatoes, anything to bring money in."
Al said he remembers when Wonder Bread was 12 cents a loaf and when ground beef went up to 27 cents.
Stay tuned for more stories from Allen to come, and CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW FOR A PHOTO GALLERY