Leon Donovan Langer, age 79 of Ellsworth, WI, died on Monday, December 14th, 2020 at the Ellsworth Health Services in Ellsworth, Wisconsin.  Leon was born June 18th, 1941 to Clayton and Carrol (Huber) Langer. Leon attended school at Ellsworth High School and graduated in 1959. Leon united in marriage to Jane E. Lilley (deceased) on February 19, 1966 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Prescott, Wisconsin. Their union in marriage was blessed over 51 years, three children and two generations of grandchildren. Leon was a devoted husband, dad and grandpa who was selfless in all that he did, putting work, family and friends first. Leon was in the Army Reserves for six years after completing high school and working for his father’s family business Langer’s Transfer a livestock trucking company. In 1963 he took over “Langer’s Transfer” from his father to make it his own.  He ran a successful business for the next 50 years.  Leon worked every day, every hour needed to get all of the animals hauled, as well as the feed and hay shipped to where it needed to go.

A break from work for Leon was celebrating his children’s graduations, weddings, taking his family out for a good steak and Friday fish fry, a trip to the Root Beer stand, or a trip to the local pub on a free evening.

Leon knew everyone in town, and he was forever waving at every person that drove by as he drove for work. Leon was happy to use all the roads created from Ellsworth to South Saint Paul where he delivered the livestock, picked up feed and hay, being he drove the route up to three times a day when he was the busiest. If you were lucky enough to go with Leon to work your day consisted of keeping him awake with both of you singing to the radio, giving him candy and/ or gum to chew, rolling the windows of the truck up and down, as well as taking a break for a shared ice cream from D.Q. Somedays were filled with helping him to get unstuck from the barnyards mud, fixing the broken loading shoots and helping him to load and then unload hay and feed.  Leon’s work day never ended if he wasn’t doing any of these tasks he was cutting/loading/stacking wood, feeding our livestock, plowing snow, mowing the yard, washing his truck, or gardening, the jobs were endless. Leon’s effort and passion far surpasses anyone’s his family has ever met.  Leon leaves a legacy of work hard and doing the best job you can.

Leon will be missed by all those who loved him, which includes the whole farming community. Leon was preceded in death by his parents, Clayton and Carrol (Huber) Langer; his brother, Malcom Langer; and his wife, Jane Langer.

Leon is survived by his children, Patrick (Susan) Langer, Ann (Lee) Leach and Erick Langer; grandchildren: Erika Allgood, Christopher (Melissa) Langer, Kyle Langer, Wyatt Langer and Mason Leach; great-grandchildren: Jack, Charlie, Summer and Brooke; sister, Beverly Rasmussen; and sister-in-law, Janice Langer.

With the ongoing pandemic, services will be held at a later date.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the O’Connell-Benedict Family Funeral Home of Ellsworth (715) 273-4421.  www.oconnellfuneralservices.com