Leo Arvid Mustonen

Mustonen, Leo Arvid Born March 1, 1920, in Brainerd, Minnesota, passed away November 18, 1942. He was the son of Anna and Arvid Mustonen and the brother of Arvo Mustonen. Leo and his family were members of the Messiah Lutheran Church (Soumi Synod) of Brainerd, MN. In 1938, he graduated from Brainerd High School where he played in the band, was in the German Club, and was on the Debate Squad at Brainerd Junior College before attending the University of Minnesota. Aviation Cadet Leo Mustonen and three other crew members left on a training mission from Mather Field, CA, in a Beech AT 7 Navigator aircraft, and disappeared during WWII. In 1947, a climber found remnants of the aircraft in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A group gravesite exists in their memory in the Golden Gate National Cemetery, in CA. October 15, 2005, two hikers in Mendel Glacier found Leo. As a result of extensive forensic research, including DNA testing, a positive identification was made identifying the body as that of Leo Mustonen. Leo Mustonen's memories are cherished by his surviving family that includes his sister-in-law, Lou Ella Mustonen, of Greencove Springs, FL, and his nieces, Ona Lea Mustonen, also of Greencove Springs, FL, and Leane Mustonen Ross, of Jacksonville, FL; great nephews, Blayne K. Ross of Hollywood, CA, Trevor K. Ross of Atlanta, GA, and great niece, Blair B. Ross, also residing in Atlanta, GA. Funeral services in celebration of his life and going home will be held Friday, March 24, 2006, at 1:00 PM, at the First Lutheran Church, 424 8th Street South, Brainerd, MN 56401, with Pastor Andy Smith officiating. Interment follows immediately with full military honors at Evergreen Cemetery, 1105 3rd Avenue N. E, Brainerd, MN 56401. The family will receive friends from 5-8 PM Thursday, March 23, 2006, at the Nelson-Doran Funeral Home 202 8th Avenue N.E., Brainerd, MN 56401. Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to The Spirit of Kindness Fund in Brainerd, MN through the First Lutheran Church 424 8th Street So., Brainerd, MN 56401.

This obituary was originally published in the Star Tribune.