Roger Leibold

Roger Leibold age 77 of Fort Atkinson, IA, passed away on Friday, November 8, 2024, at Wellington Place in Decorah.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at St. John Catholic Church in Fort Atkinson, IA with Rev. Henry Huber, Deacon Jim Zajicek and Deacon Dan O'Brien presiding. Burial will be in the church cemetery following the service.
Visitation will be from 4:00-7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 15, 2024, at the Helms Funeral Home Chekal Chapel in Fort Atkinson and after 9:30 a.m. at the church on Saturday morning. There will be a rosary and scripture service starting at 3:30 p.m. before the visitation on Friday at the funeral home.
Roger Francis Leibold was born on May 4, 1947, to Cletus and Pauline (Bohach) Leibold in Decorah, Iowa. He was the youngest of two children. Roger attended St. John's Catholic School and graduated from Turkey Valley High School in 1965. He was a member of the National Catholic Foresters and St. John's Nepomucene Catholic Church in Fort Atkinson.
Roger married the love of his life, Sandy Langreck on June 15, 1968. Together they raised two children, Mark and Annette. He instilled a strong work ethic in his children and shared his wisdom with them. His family was very important to him, and he enjoyed watching his grandchildren grow up on the farm and come to visit from Cedar Rapids. He especially enjoyed sharing big holiday meals and playing board games and card games with them. He had a playful sense of humor – he really liked to pick on you! – and enjoyed sharing that with his grandchildren.
Roger loved farming and working with his family on the farm. He grew up farming alongside his dad. While Roger took over the farm in 1975, his dad continued to come out to the farm and work with Roger and Sandy. Roger milked cows and later raised pigs and beef cattle for many years. He sold the farm to his son in 2008 and continued to work alongside him and his grandson, Ethan. He loved doing field work, running the chopper, and unloading corn with his favorite John Deere tractors - and lunch in the field! You could often find him walking out in the fields after a long day of work. His family received the Century Farm award in 2015, with the farm being in the Leibold family since 1883.
Roger started working for Schmitt Fertilizer and Leibold Motors in Waucoma before he farmed. He later became a bus mechanic and driver for the Turkey Valley School District in July 1975, where he worked for 38 years before retiring in June 2011. Roger enjoyed driving bus and shared many stories of his bus-driving adventures over the years. He fondly remembered so many of his riders.
Even though life on the farm was busy, Roger felt vacations were important and he took time to enjoy vacations with his family. There were many summers spent fishing in Canada and Minnesota with Sandy and the children. In later years, Roger and Sandy traveled extensively with trips to Branson, Alaska, Hawaii, Wyoming, Niagara Falls, and the Caribbean.
Roger is survived by his devoted wife: Sandy; his children: Mark (Susan) Leibold of Fort Atkinson, Iowa, and Annette (Jay) Nisley of Ely, Iowa; and his grandchildren: Jarrett Nisley, Mitchell Nisley, Ethan Leibold, Nathan Nisley, and Alison Leibold. He was preceded in death by his parents: Cletus and Pauline Leibold; his in-laws: Henry and Verda Langreck; his brother: Linus Leibold, sister-in-law: Linda Leibold and niece: Sally (Leibold) Fagle, brother-in-laws and sisters-in-law: Conrad and Geri Langreck, Henry Langreck, and Gary Atamian.
Roger will be deeply missed by all who knew him, but his legacy of love, laughter, and hard work will continue to inspire his family and friends for years to come.
Roger's family would like to extend a special thank you for the exceptional loving care he received while at Wellington Place and from the WinnMed Hospice staff.