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FUNERAL HOME
655 East Broad Street
Tamaqua, Pennsylvania
Leonard Ostergaard Obituary
Leonard W. Ostergaard, 64, of Andreas, passed away peacefully after a lengthy illness on Feb. 2, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. He was the husband of Ann (Daukshus) Ostergaard. They were married for 35 years.
Born on March 27, 1960, in Bud Lake, New Jersey, he was a son of the late Dr. Carl and Jane (Teter) Ostergaard.
Surviving in addition to his widow are a son James and a daughter Emily, and her fiancé, Nathaniel Davidson, both of Andreas; his second mother Sue Ostergaard in Indiana; a sister Donna, wife of Barry Hart of Ringtown; brothers, Martin Ostergaard, and his wife, Kelly, of Springfield, N.J., and Andrew Ostergaard, and his wife, Misty, of Evansville, Indiana; his mother-in-law, Mary Jean Daukshus of Tamaqua; a brother-in-law John Daukshus, and his wife, Christa, of Palmer Township; sisters-in-law Karen, wife of Jon Kammerdeiner of Palmer Township, and Laurie Daukshus of Tamaqua; nieces and nephews, Janelle wife of Daniel Brown, Samantha Ostergaard, Leah and Claire Daukshus and Nicholas and Kaitlin Kammerdeiner.
He was also preceded in death by aunt and uncle, Morris and Pearl Heisler; his father-in-law, Jack Daukshus; and his beloved uncle, Knute Ostergaard.
Leonard and his wife owned and operated Heisler's Cloverleaf Dairy Bar in the Lewistown Valley.
Through hard work and dedication, he continued a family run business started by his aunt and uncle. He will be remembered standing in the front of the dairy bar cutting banana splits and offering a friendly hello or chat to customers.
He served as a past supervisor for Walker Township.
He was a graduate of Newark Academy in New Jersey and Muhlenberg College, Allentown, with degree in chemistry.
Leonard was an avid hunter and fisherman, sharing many hours with his son and daughter on their surrounding property. He also enjoyed time spent at the beach at their second home in Cape May, N.J.
He had a brilliant scientific mind, but he also enjoyed and appreciated the arts, music and poetry. In his later years, he most enjoyed time spent at home doing the New York Times crossword puzzles daily and watching Jeopardy every evening with his family and his three dogs, Louie, Millie and Bonnie.
Leonard, being a small business owner, believed in the importance of supporting the local community that supported him.
The family asked to honor this in lieu of flowers with donations to one of the following organizations: the New England Fire Co., Tamaqua Public Library or any of the endeavors of the Tamaqua Community Partnership, 125 Pine St., Tamaqua, PA 18252, in the development and enrichment of downtown Tamaqua. Please specify which project you wish your donation to go towards: the Art Center, Hope & Coffee, Tamaqua Train Station roof replacement or Liberty Tree Park.
Service: Celebration of life noon Saturday, Feb. 8, E. Franklin Griffiths Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 655 E. Broad St., Tamaqua. Visitation will be held from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Online condolences can be offered at www.griffithsfuneralhomes.com.
Memories and Condolences
for Leonard Ostergaard
Sponsored by E. Franklin Griffiths Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc. - Tamaqua.
2 Entries
Rick Houtz
February 6, 2025
My earliest memory of Leonard is when I was a little kid, and he would ride his motorcycle on the road, near our home. Over time, the motorcycle was replaced by a red VW Scirocco (or two or three of them). But he was always kind to give me a wave or stop and say hi. After all, we were neighbors, and eventually he would become my first boss...and he was a great one.
Working at Heisler's seemed like a foregone conclusion growing up in Lewistown Valley. Whether working in "the pit", at the counter, waking up early for clean-up crew, or preparing for another successful car show, Leonard taught me the importance of consistency, dependability, follow-through, problem solving, attention to detail, customer service and above all he was a role model in work ethic. Leonard was always present. And, Leonard always encouraged me to dream big, do well in school and get out and explore. He was a mentor before I knew what that was or how important it could be.
He effectively managed a multi-generational workplace (mostly consisting of teenagers) with firmness and fairness. Over time, it was great to see his quirky sense of humor come out, and his ability to discuss any topic at any time. I always enjoyed our talks about entrepreneurship, technology, competition or even about local affairs. He would always ask how my mom or dad was doing, and he had a great sense of community and doing the right thing. When he married Ann, they became great partners in life and in business, innovating and growing a well-established business to become even better. Heisler's became a treasured place for more generations to create memories and to share in its history and fun, including my own family. What's more fun than ice cream??
Today I am sad to read about Leonard's passing. He's gone to soon, but I will never forget what he taught me, which has served me well in my career and in life. To Ann, James, Emily, Donna and all of Leonard's family, please accept my sincere condolences on his passing. He will be greatly missed.
How you can show support
Jim Logue
February 6, 2025
My deepest condolences to Ann and all the family.
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Memorial Events
for Leonard Ostergaard
Feb
8
Visitation
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
E. Franklin Griffiths Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc. - Tamaqua655 East Broad Street, Tamaqua, PA 18252
Feb
8
Celebration of Life
12:00 p.m.
E. Franklin Griffiths Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc. - Tamaqua655 East Broad Street, Tamaqua, PA 18252
Funeral services provided by:
E. Franklin Griffiths Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc. - Tamaqua655 East Broad Street, Tamaqua, PA 18252
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