Leonard (Len) J. Dusek, of Wahpeton, ND died under the care of Sanford Hospice House, Fargo, ND on Friday, February 25, 2022, from complications of his 5 year struggle with Alzheimer's dementia. Cremation has taken place. A Mass of Christian Burial is set for Thursday, March 3, 2022 at 1:00 P.M. at St. John's Nepomucene Catholic Church of Pisek, ND. Inurnment will take place in the spring. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials in Len's memory to the Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org.
None of us here this afternoon can deny that death is a certainty of life, that, at birth, we all begin dying. But with a new birth come celebration and a welcoming rush of best wishes for the proud parents and child alike. And in all that excitement, we brush hurriedly aside those dark thoughts and concentrate, instead, on that new life, that new love, that new family. In death, Leonard Joseph Dusek has begun a new life and joined a larger family where life and love is eternal. As we gather together today to grieve the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, and friend, we will concentrate not on that stage of life called death, but rather on the journey we know as life.
Len was a May Day baby, born in 1946 to John and Mathilda (Kotaska) Dusek. He lived in Pisek, ND, with his parents and two older brothers, Donald and David, where he was educated. In high school Len was a talented athlete, excelling in basketball; he still holds the Pisek Royals’ record for most points (47) ever scored in a single game. Len was fiercely proud of his Czech heritage, and his favorite meal was brats, potato dumplings, sauerkraut (homemade was best like his mother made), and for dessert, Kolache, preferably prune and poppy seed.
Education was important to him. He started his academic career after high school at the North Dakota State School of Science (now North Dakota State College of Science) in Wahpeton, ND, majoring in Architectural Drafting and Estimating Technology, earning an AAS degree. After graduation he worked as assistant manager and then manager of several Robertson Lumber yards in northeast ND. Len had a special knack for this type of work and a passion for working in the lumber business. He was recognized by Robertson Companies several times as “Manager of the Year,”
earning trips for his wife and him to Hawaii and Mexico as a reward for his hard work. And a hard worker he was his whole life. He was driven to succeed and to be the best he could be.
In 1975 he married Deborah Torkelson, Grafton, ND. He and Debby lived in Mayville-Portland, Oakes, Devils Lake, and Wahpeton during their 46 years of marriage. Always a designer and builder of houses, Len drew up new house plans, supervised their builds, and Deb decorated them—11 in all. Obviously, their two sons, Lynn and Lee, grew up with a very different idea of what ‘home’ meant. Deb and Len’s mantra was always “So many house plans and wall paper samples and so little time!”
Len was a proud father to Lynn David and Lee Christopher. He was an ever-present dad to his boys, attending every hockey and baseball game they played in. Len taught Lee to be a hard worker and Lynn learned project management skills from his dad that he continues to use daily today. Len never tried to micro-manage their lives. As Lynn has said, “Dad was always calm and let us ‘learn by doing.’ Len was a quiet, modest, conservative man, not much for words or one to ever talk about his feelings. But his sons knew they were loved, even though he didn’t tell them often.
Len was a lumberyard owner and general building contractor most of his workaday life and both sons learned side by side from their dad at the many job sites he oversaw. When he wasn’t working, Len liked to fish, and he and the boys renovated and rebuilt, from the ground up, an old pontoon and enjoyed precious family time on that pontoon on nearby area Minnesota lakes for many summers.
When Deb received her English teaching position at NDSCS in Wahpeton, the couple moved there and Len resumed his college career, taking general education courses there and then transferring to Moorhead State University (now MSUM) to complete his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology in 1994. He was so proud of earning that 4 year degree! The entire Dusek family, for so many years, were up to their ears in homework—Len at MSUM, Deb at NDSU completing her Master’s degree in English, and the boys at Wahpeton Elementary.
Len officially retired in 2017 when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia. His memory decline was gradual at first, but within the last month of his life, that decline worsened rapidly. Deb and her sons thank the Leach Home in Wahpeton, Mapleview Memory Care, and Sanford Broadway Hospice House in Fargo for the care and compassion they showed Len in his last month of life. Len knew he was loved and believed in life after death. Len’s favorite saying, when either Deb or the boys asked him to do something, was usually “I’ll do it when the time is right.” Mercifully, the good Lord made the final call when the “time was right” for Len to be called to his heavenly home on Friday, February 25. It was Len’s wish to be cremated and buried near his best friend, older brother David.
May our good, kind, and merciful Lord grant Len eternal rest. At last, he is at peace and whole again.
None of us here this afternoon can deny that death is a certainty of life, that, at birth, we all begin dying. But with a new birth come celebration and a welcoming rush of best wishes for the proud parents and child alike. And in all that excitement, we brush hurriedly aside those dark thoughts and concentrate, instead, on that new life, that new love, that new family. In death, Leonard Joseph Dusek has begun a new life and joined a larger family where life and love is eternal. As we gather together today to grieve the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, and friend, we will concentrate not on that stage of life called death, but rather on the journey we know as life.
Len was a May Day baby, born in 1946 to John and Mathilda (Kotaska) Dusek. He lived in Pisek, ND, with his parents and two older brothers, Donald and David, where he was educated. In high school Len was a talented athlete, excelling in basketball; he still holds the Pisek Royals’ record for most points (47) ever scored in a single game. Len was fiercely proud of his Czech heritage, and his favorite meal was brats, potato dumplings, sauerkraut (homemade was best like his mother made), and for dessert, Kolache, preferably prune and poppy seed.
Education was important to him. He started his academic career after high school at the North Dakota State School of Science (now North Dakota State College of Science) in Wahpeton, ND, majoring in Architectural Drafting and Estimating Technology, earning an AAS degree. After graduation he worked as assistant manager and then manager of several Robertson Lumber yards in northeast ND. Len had a special knack for this type of work and a passion for working in the lumber business. He was recognized by Robertson Companies several times as “Manager of the Year,”
earning trips for his wife and him to Hawaii and Mexico as a reward for his hard work. And a hard worker he was his whole life. He was driven to succeed and to be the best he could be.
In 1975 he married Deborah Torkelson, Grafton, ND. He and Debby lived in Mayville-Portland, Oakes, Devils Lake, and Wahpeton during their 46 years of marriage. Always a designer and builder of houses, Len drew up new house plans, supervised their builds, and Deb decorated them—11 in all. Obviously, their two sons, Lynn and Lee, grew up with a very different idea of what ‘home’ meant. Deb and Len’s mantra was always “So many house plans and wall paper samples and so little time!”
Len was a proud father to Lynn David and Lee Christopher. He was an ever-present dad to his boys, attending every hockey and baseball game they played in. Len taught Lee to be a hard worker and Lynn learned project management skills from his dad that he continues to use daily today. Len never tried to micro-manage their lives. As Lynn has said, “Dad was always calm and let us ‘learn by doing.’ Len was a quiet, modest, conservative man, not much for words or one to ever talk about his feelings. But his sons knew they were loved, even though he didn’t tell them often.
Len was a lumberyard owner and general building contractor most of his workaday life and both sons learned side by side from their dad at the many job sites he oversaw. When he wasn’t working, Len liked to fish, and he and the boys renovated and rebuilt, from the ground up, an old pontoon and enjoyed precious family time on that pontoon on nearby area Minnesota lakes for many summers.
When Deb received her English teaching position at NDSCS in Wahpeton, the couple moved there and Len resumed his college career, taking general education courses there and then transferring to Moorhead State University (now MSUM) to complete his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology in 1994. He was so proud of earning that 4 year degree! The entire Dusek family, for so many years, were up to their ears in homework—Len at MSUM, Deb at NDSU completing her Master’s degree in English, and the boys at Wahpeton Elementary.
Len officially retired in 2017 when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia. His memory decline was gradual at first, but within the last month of his life, that decline worsened rapidly. Deb and her sons thank the Leach Home in Wahpeton, Mapleview Memory Care, and Sanford Broadway Hospice House in Fargo for the care and compassion they showed Len in his last month of life. Len knew he was loved and believed in life after death. Len’s favorite saying, when either Deb or the boys asked him to do something, was usually “I’ll do it when the time is right.” Mercifully, the good Lord made the final call when the “time was right” for Len to be called to his heavenly home on Friday, February 25. It was Len’s wish to be cremated and buried near his best friend, older brother David.
May our good, kind, and merciful Lord grant Len eternal rest. At last, he is at peace and whole again.