Leonard Francis DEBANO

DEBANO, Leonard Francis Passed away May 13, 2017, he was born in Edgemont, South Dakota, on December 23, 1930, to Lillie Catherine (Meng) DeBano and Frank O. DeBano. His parents initially lived on the old Jens Meng homestead north of Montrose in Sioux County, Nebraska, but later settled on a homestead on Hat Creek. As a child, Leonard went hunting and fishing in Sioux County with his mother. The family moved to New York in 1937, but soon decided to return to Nebraska. The Semroska family helped them through difficult times until they could settle in again. In 1939 they moved to the White River farm near Crawford. Leonard graduated from Crawford High in 1948. He attended Chadron State college with an interest in football (his Crawford High team won the Northwest Conference championship). However he found other serious academic interests at this point. He attended Colorado A&M forestry camp and an initial quarter term before he was called to serve in Korea from March, 1950, to 1953. When he returned, he continued his studies, receiving a Bachelors degree in range management from Colorado A&M in 1955 and a Masters in range management at Utah State University in 1957. He then accepted a position with the University of California at Berkeley and went on to get a Ph.D. in soil science in 1965. While at Berkeley, he married Emily Anna "Ann" Shideler. Both were graduate students and employed by the university. This was the beginning of a long and very happy family life. Summer camping trips in the western United States and Canada, via the family VW bus, produced memories still cherished by all. Leonard and Ann had four children: Hans Anthony (married to Dominique Laroche), Kathryn Marie (married to Nathan Rhodes), Sandra Jean (married to David Wooster), and Wendy Sue (married to Bahman Naji-Talakar). There are six grandchildren: Erika, Siavosh, Matthew, Sally, Amy, and Samantha. In 1963 Leonard was hired by the U.S. Forest Service to work on the San Dimas Experimental Forest in Southern California, researching soil erosion and fire-related problems in chaparral. The 14 years he spent there included his early work on water repellency in soils. In 1977 he became the project leader for a Forest Service watershed research program at the Forestry Sciences laboratory on the Arizona State University campus. He remained there until the Tempe lab group was moved to the newly-constructed research laboratory on the Northern Arizona University campus at Flagstaff. He then moved to Tucson, Arizona, to start the Borderlands project which was a coordinated effort of the Rocky Mountain Station, the University of Arizona, state and federal agencies, the Malpai Borderlands Group, and scientists from Mexico. His retirement to Tucson found him still involved in professional activities. More publications were added to an already long list and he found time to write a book on fire effects that he had long wanted time to write. A high point in his career was his inclusion in a three-day international conference on soil water repellency held in Wageningen, The Netherlands, in 1998. He was an adjunct professor of watershed management at the School of Renewable Natural Resources at the University of Arizona and enjoyed working on projects with colleagues there. He liked Tucson. During retirement, he visited Nebraska and could spend more time with relatives and friends as well as family. Gardening became more of a passion for him and his interest in genealogy grew. He delighted in his childrens lives and their families. And over time he came to appreciate more and more how fortunate he had been in the people he had met and worked with all his life. His Funeral Mass will be at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton church in Tucson at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, May 27, 2017, with interment at Holy Hope Cemetery to follow. Suggestions for those wishing to make memorial donations: Berkeley Fund for Natural Resources, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, 101 Giannini Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-3100 or Sarver Heart Center,1501 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724. Arrangements by DESERT SUNSET FUNERAL HOME.