Leon Schoh
Leon E. Schoh, 91, of Waukon, formerly of Dorchester, died Thursday, July 9, 2020 at Good Samaritan Society in Waukon. Private family memorial services will be held at Iron Ridge Church in Waukon with Pastor Marlan Mincks officiating and burial will be at Mt. Hope Cemetery in rural New Albin. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling the arrangements.
Please join the live stream of the service viewable on Martin-Grau Funeral Home’s Facebook page this Saturday, July 18 at 11 a.m. Condolences may be sent to Jane Schoh at 25 First Street, Apt. 108, Waukon, IA, 52172.
Leon Earl Schoh was born July 13, 1928 in Eitzen, MN, the son of Earl and Lillie (Staggemeyer) Schoh of rural Eitzen, MN. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Luke’s Evangelical & Reformed Church in Eitzen, MN. Leon grew up on a farm outside of Dorchester and attended Dorchester Grade School. He graduated from Waukon High School in 1946, and as a senior he was quarterback for the football team. After graduation, he was employed by Franklin G Fruechte Plumbing, Heating and Carpentry.
September 2, 1951, he married E. Jane Beardmore at Mt Hope Presbyterian Church in rural New Albin. After marriage, they attended Mt. Hope Church and later attended St. Luke’s United Church of Christ in Eitzen, MN, where he was on the church council. They farmed and raised their children on “English Bench”, surrounded by the beautiful bluffs of the Upper Iowa River Valley, until retiring and moving to Waukon in 1991.
After retiring, Leon spent most days either fishing or driving out to the farm where he spent time in the woods, checking fences and clearing brush. He was a perfect caretaker of his land, taking great pride in making it a “Pretty Place”. In 1962, he received the “Outstanding Young Farmer” award from the local Jaycees. He was also a Soil Conservation District Commissioner and a member of the Eitzen Lions Club. While living in Waukon, Leon and Jane attended Iron Ridge Church.
Leon was a natural athlete and an avid sports fan. He loved watching football and baseball, hunting, fishing year-around, gathering hickory nuts, wild berries, mushroom hunting and picking strawberries. When younger, he played baseball and was the fastest player on his team!
Other hobbies had included bowling, slow-pitch softball and pitching horseshoes. He loved listening to music, especially polka and Mollie B. Leon was a lifetime card-shark and played euchre and cribbage. He taught his children and grandchildren the strategy and tricks of the games. He especially loved cribbage and played quite regularly the last three years until March of 2020 when visitors were no longer allowed at Good Samaritan Society due to COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions. Leon was also a talented whistler and could be heard whistling (in vibrato!) literally everywhere he went, at work or at play.
When Leon was 75 years old, he began his singing career and drove all over the tri-state area to sing karaoke. He loved to sing, was comfortable in front of a crowd, and often hammed it up! Jane and other family members often went along, and if Jane was there, he would sing love songs directly to her. He was known to other regular fellow-karaoke singers as “Dad”.
Survivors include his wife of 68 years, E. Jane Schoh of Waukon; his children: Gregg Schoh of Lakeside, MT, Nancy Schoh and Diane (Rod) Nichols, both of rural Dorchester, and Robin Schoh of Windsor, CO; four grandchildren: Kristin Burg (Dan) Muszalski, Steven (Amanda) Burg, Leah (Aaron Irish) Nichols and Tara Nichols; five great-grandchildren: Nolan and Maren Muszalski, and Leon, Owen and Kashton Burg; one brother, Joseph (Patricia) Schoh of Eitzen, MN; two sisters, Joyce (Don) Bakke of Waukon and Lilah (Leo) Troendle of Lansing; three sisters-in-law: Ruby Schoh of Waukon, Mae Gustin of Lincoln, NE and Ruby Herman of Waukon; and many nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by an infant son, Gary Schoh; his parents; a sister, Janet, and her husband, Floyd Oseth; two brothers: Donald and his wife, Annette Schoh, and Gaylord Schoh; three brothers-in-law: Glenn and his wife, Rae Beardmore, Willard Gustin and Nyles Herman; and a sister-in-law, Helen, and her husband, Delton Mohwinkle.
Honorary urnbearers are Leon’s grandchildren. Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
