Leland Kleinsasser

Leland Kleinsasser, age 90, of Huron, passed away Monday, August 4, 2025, at the Huron Regional Medical Center.

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His funeral service was held at 3:00 PM, Friday, August 8, at Bethel Mennonite Brethren Church, rural Yale. Burial followed in the church cemetery with military honors by the Huron Veteran's Council. His service was live-streamed.

Visitation with family present was held from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, Thursday, August 7, at Bethesda Church, with a time of sharing at 6:00 PM.

Memorials may be directed to James Valley Christian School and Tabor College.

Leland Paul Kleinsasser was born November 12, 1934, to Paul and Elizabeth (Stahl) Kleinsasser, at Yale, South Dakota, He grew up in Yale and graduated from Yale High School in 1953. He excelled in athletics throughout his academic years. Leland was a starter in softball and basketball for six years as a middle and high schooler. His teams achieved numerous Beadle County Conference tournament victories. Leland always took great pride in being a graduate of Yale.

After high school, Leland attended Tabor College at Hillsboro, Kansas, earning B.A. degree in History and Business Administration in 1957. While at Tabor, Leland continued playing basketball, baseball and track. In 2000 he was inducted in to the Tabor College Athletic Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in athletics.

On July 14, 1957, Leland married Sharon Toews at Hillsboro, Kansas. Together they welcomed their son, Brent Reed.

On August 9, 1957, Leland joined the United States Army. After completing basic training at Fort Ord, California, he was then stationed in Germany for 16 months as a squad leader and teacher. He was a distinguished graduate of the 8th Division Non-Commissioned Officer Academy and received several letters of commendation. Leland was honorably discharged on May 9, 1959.

In the fall of 1959, Leland began teaching History and Business at James Valley Christian School and coached multiple boys' sports. In 1965, he left teaching to farm full-time with his brother, Jim. Together Leland and Jim managed a diverse operation, including dairy cows, hay, corn, wheat, soybeans and irrigation systems. As their sons grew older, the brothers transitioned to farming individually, with Leland and Brent sharing many years of rewarding work together on the land.

In June of 1948, Leland accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior while attending Byron Bible Camp, and was baptized and joined Bethel Church on August 22 of the same year. He was a life-long faithful member at Bethel Church and served in various leadership roles within the Central District and U.S. Area Mennonite Brethren Conferences, including as the first layman elected chairman of the Central District Conference and as vice chairman of the U.S. Area Conference.

Leland was committed to serving his community. He was elected to the South Dakota State Legislature, serving two years in the House of Representatives and eight years in the Senate. Throughout his decade of service, he was a member of the Appropriation Committee, vice chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and chairman of the Bonding Committee. In his years in the state legislature, he loved serving the people of his district. It did not matter what party affiliation they belonged to; he was there to help them wherever he could. Following his legislative service, Leland was appointed to the State Fair Commission for 14 years and the State Housing Committee for 13 years.

Leland enjoyed flying his Piper Cherakee 235 airplane, that he and his brother, Jim owned together. He enjoyed flying to family reunions and flying it to church conference meetings. He shared his love of flying and flying time with his nephew, Vic.

Leland and Sharon shared a love of family and especially enjoyed attending their grandchildren's sporting events – cheering for Mason, Kali and Morgan in their sporting events. Leland cherished time with his family and was known for his willingness to help others, often saying, "The greatest gift you can have is the one that's needed." No one told a story like Papa Butch, especially in the harvest field as they shared one of Grandma Sharon suppers. Some of the best stories were about old family stories, past athletic championships and of course stories of his youth growing up in Yale. He was always able to turn his stories in to a teachable moment, and we gained much wisdom from him. Leland was the embodiment of a life well lived.

Leland is survived by his wife, Sharon Kleinsasser of Huron; one son, Brent (Dawn) Kleinsasser of Huron; three grandchildren, Mason Kleinsasser, Kali (Austin) Huiskes and Morgan (Ashton) McGuire; six grandchildren, Lincoln Huiskes, Kaiser Kleinsasser, Liam Huiskes, Phelps Kleinsasser, Leo Huiskes and Lennon McGuire; as well as his siblings, June Whites, Rose Schwartz, James (Wanda) Kleinsasser and Barbara (Quinten) Weidner.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Elizabeth; his parents-in-law, Dave and Josie Toews; and two brothers-in-law, Gene Whites and Loarn Schwartz.

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