Steven Donald Leising

Steven Donald Leising, born to life on September 22, 1949 and born to Eternal Life on June 29, 2025. He was preceded in death by his biological father Donald Jorgensen, his parents Jacqueline (née O'Brien) and Paul Leising, and leaves behind his adoring sister Lisa (née Leising) Jaskulski, his brother-in-law Robert Jaskulski, and his nieces and nephews Cassandra, Brianne, Zachary, and Aaron (Kianna Saari) Jaskulski, whom he loved like his own children. He also leaves behind many loving family members from both his Leising and O'Brien families.
Steven was born in Omaha, Nebraska, where he spent his early years, and moved to Wisconsin with his mother after the unexpected death of his biological father at the age of three. Two years later, Jacqueline remarried, and he was adopted by Paul Leising, who loved him as his own and welcomed him into a large and boisterous German-Catholic family. Steven's early years were filled with family gatherings, camping in Northern Wisconsin, fishing, and spending quality time with his best friend, a rescue mutt named Sparky. But all that changed when he was thirteen and his family welcomed Lisa, his little sister and only sibling, who instantly became the North Star in his life. He took his role as older brother very seriously and would spend the next 62 years endlessly devoted to her and her growing family, whether it was playing with her as a child, guiding her through adolescence, picking her up from school in his super cool Jeep, third-wheeling movie dates with her and her then-boyfriend Rob (see above), walking her down the aisle after their father's untimely death, becoming godfather to one of her twin daughters, or making surprise trips home for Christmases, graduations, birthdays, or even to dog-sit after having moved to Sacramento in his mid-30s.
Despite his private and often solitary nature, Steve was quick to laughter and found his deepest happiness whenever he came home to Wisconsin. His nieces and nephews always joked that you could never have him in the house without hearing at least a few wheezing exclamations of "Jeez, Lisa!" per day (in addition to sharing parents, they also shared the same quirky sense of humor). He found joy in life's simplest pleasures - IHOP's Quick 2-Egg Breakfast, a strong cup of black coffee, his niece's homemade chocolate chip cookies, watching the family dogs Zeus and Larry romp around the living room, his comfy (re: ancient) recliner, and his Hank Hill wardrobe consisting of jeans, grey or navy henley shirt (bright colors - no, thank you), and well-worn zippy sweatshirt. Seriously, the man did not wear anything else, not for over 30 years. He liked what he liked, thank you very much. Which brings us to his undying devotion to the automaker Jeep, which he drove for over 40 years. He should have been their spokesman.
Steve was highly mechanically and electrically inclined, a skillset he learned from watching his electrician father on the job and repairing cars together in the family garage. By the time he was a teenager, he could put together and take apart almost anything, converting a car into a dune buggy and building a flamethrower out of a vacuum cleaner. He held a variety of different engineering jobs over the course of his career and spent his later years working as a stationary engineer for data centers, a job that required quick thinking, expert problem-solving, and meticulous follow-through. Steve was also deeply patriotic and enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was 21 years old during the height of the Vietnam War, graduating boot camp in San Diego. Though he was never called up for active duty, he was highly skilled on the rifle range and spent years as a Marine recruiter in Sacramento. He was honorably discharged, at his request, as a Staff Sergeant in 1977.
Steve had a diverse and often antithetical set of interests that ranged from hunting, fishing, camping, falconry, and general outdoorsmanship to online gaming and the construction of his very own supercomputer. He loved all animals and had a reverence for nature, at one point even catching and owning rattlesnakes before releasing them back into the wild and helping his sister rescue and rehabilitate an injured owl. He was also a big fan of sending and receiving silly dog videos and could be relied upon to mail an American Express gift card for every Christmas and birthday. He was a complicated man who lived a simple, quiet life, donating hundreds of dollars a month to local food banks, St. Jude, and Catholic charities without ever saying a word. He never sought to be the center of attention, happy to sit on the sidelines and soak up all the love, adventure, chaos, and eccentricity around him, especially that of Lisa and her family. He will be forever missed by them, his extended family, and many friends.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, July 26 at St. Mary Parish in Hales Corners at 10am until 10:45am, with Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 11am, and Military Honors afterward. A private burial will be held on Monday, July 28th with immediate family at Wisconsin Memorial Park, where Steve will be taken home to rest with his loving parents.
In lieu of flowers (Steve was an unfussy man who wouldn't have been able to keep them alive for more than a day), the family would appreciate donations in his honor to or the in honor of his brother-in-law. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Steven, please visit our floral store.