Leo A. Nesius, 90, Wells

Published 12:00 am Saturday, June 9, 2007

Leo A. Nesius, 90, formerly of Wells, died Thursday, June 7, 2007 at Clear Lake. Memorial services will be on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at St. Casimir Catholic Church in Wells. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the service at the church. Fr. Eugene Stenzel will officiate. Burial will be in Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.

Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells is in charge of the arrangements.

Leo was born February 18, 1917 to Anthony Jacob and Mary Ora (Paquiette) Nesius in Jordan Township, Jasper County, Indiana. He was baptized and confirmed at Sacred Heart Church, Remington, Ind. He graduated from Carpenter County High School in 1935. After working with his father on the farm for one year, he enrolled at Purdue University and graduated in June of 1940 with a bachelors in engineering and a reserve officer commission as a Second Lieutenant, Field Artillery. After graduating, he began working for Standard Oil Company in Whiting, Ind., and then was assigned to their Mankato Division as Automotive Sales Engineer covering all of southern Minnesota. Leo and Hilda Andrea Smith of Canton, Ohio, were united in marriage at St. John’s Catholic Church in Mankato, on June 14, 1941. She preceded him in death January 30, 1992. He married Dorothy Lorraine Jansen Manitz, May 12, 1993 at Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord, Fort Meyers, Fla. On August 19, 1941, he was called to active duty with the 34th Infantry Division at Camp Claiborne, LA and served in World War II until November 1945 going to North Ireland, Bristol, England, Oran, French Morocco, the North African Invasion and the Italian Invasion leaving Florence, Italy late summer 1944.

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On Jan. 1, 1946, he returned to this pre-war job assignment with Stand Oil at Mankato and continued until October 1957 when Standard Oil downsized and Leo and Frank Balcerzak began a new prestressed concrete business, Wells Concrete Products Company. After Balcerzak died suddenly of a massive heart attack in 1970, Leo became primary owner of Wells Concrete Products Co.

Leo and Hilda (Honey) retired permanently to Fort Meyers, Fla., in 1977. Leo remained on the board of directors as chairman and founding director. Wells Concrete Products grew and expanded and now includes Concrete Inc. at Grand Forks, N.D., and a number of ReadyMix Companies at Blue Earth, Mapleton, and Mankato, as well as Wells. Leo was a member of Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, Cypress Lake Country Club, Myerlee Country Club of Fort Myers, Fla., and American Legion Melvin Cowait Post No. 274, Fort Meyers Beach, Fla.

He is survived by his wife Dorothy; nine children: Jean (Richard) Dusbabek of Fort Myers, Fla., James (Karen) Nesius of Lake Park, Lucy (Len) Myers of Franklin, N.C., Annette (Gary) Roberts of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, Paula (Robert) Lawler of Bemidji, Mary (Brian) Sader of Good Thunder, Mark (Sharon) Nesius of Mankato, Brian (Laurie) Nesius of Sauk Rapids, and John (Denise) Nesius of Lake Ridge, Va.; four step-children: Mark (Donna) Manitz, Hollis Loegering, all of Wells, Wendy (Terry) Mizner of St. Cloud, and Pamela (Paul) Strehlo of Cottage Grove; 35 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law: Myrtle Nesius of Littleton, Colo., Carol Langseth of Worthington, Evelyn (Edwin) Lucks of Grand Junction, Colo.; brothers-in-law: Vernon (Ardis) Jansen Worthington, Gary (Phyllis) Jansen Bonners of Ferry, Idaho, Geneve Jansen of Pipeston, Dorothy Grace Jansen of Worthington; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife Hilda, sons: Paul, Joseph, and David Nesius; son-in-law: Charles Loegering, brother Bernard, sisters: Lucille Werelius, Arnetta Huneryager; brothers-in-law: Eugene Werelius, LaMar Huneryager, Henry, Marvin Virgil Jansen, Herbert Langseth and great-granddaughter, Ashley Faith Dusbabek.

In Lieu of flowers, memorial preferred to St. Casimir Catholic School in Wells or charity of donor&8217;s choice.