LeMoyne Oakland, 87, Albert Lea
Published 7:30 am Sunday, January 22, 2012
The funeral service for LeMoyne “Lee” D. Oakland, of Albert Lea, will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, at Grace Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. The Rev. Andrea Myers will officiate.
Interment will be in St. Olaf Cemetery, New Richland. Military honors will be accorded by Albert Lea veterans organizations. Visitation will be from 3 to 6 p.m. today at Bonnerup Funeral Service, Albert Lea and one hour before the service at the church.
LeMoyne was born in Freeborn County on Oct. 12, 1924, the son of Elmer and Alma (Moen) Oakland. Lee went to country school and then as a young man served the country in the United States Army during World War II. He served 30 months fighting in the Philippines and was in the first unit to occupy Japan before his honorable discharge. On Aug. 17, 1947, he was united in marriage to Lucile “Kitty” Sereda at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Richland. Lee and Kitty began their life together in Twin Lakes, where Lee worked as a mechanic and then moved to Osakis, where he owned and operated a Sinclair Station. They later made their home in Albert Lea where he had owned and operated the Standard and Shell Stations on East Main, and then the Texaco Station on South Broadway for many years before retiring. He was a member of Grace Lutheran Church and had been a member of the Moose Club. Lee enjoyed hunting, fishing, woodworking, playing cards and was an avid sports fan, especially NASCAR and football.
Lee is survived by his wife Lucile “Kitty” of Albert Lea; six children: Dawn (Dick) Wolterman of Apple Valley, Steven Oakland of Albert Lea, Debra (Laurence) Cranwell of Waltham, Mass., Dennis Oakland of Lake Louise, Alaska, Cindy (Jerry) Brown of Apple Valley, and Michelle (Tim) Reinke of Waterville; grandchildren: Jason (Katherine) Wolterman and their children Madison and Preston of Rosemount, Jessica Adelmann of Liberty Lake, Wash., Jaime (Erlend) Larsen and children Allison and Brody of Hastings, Natasha (Steven) Vaux and children Zoe and Ava of Franklin, Mass., Evan Cranwell of Waltham, Mass., Jeanine Oakland of Anchorage, Alaska, Daniel Oakland, U.S. Airforce, Ramstein, Germany, David Brown of Shakopee, Krista Meyen and daughter Brooke of Farmington, Ashley Brown of Apple Valley, Anastasia, Alicia, Cody and Sarah Reinke of Waterville; brother Alton (Bev) Oakland of Albert Lea, sister Dorothy (Robert) Stillings of Albert Lea, and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents Elmer and Alma Oakland, sister Eunice Wilhelm, brother Vernon Oakland, grandson Jeremy Wolterman and his father-in-law and mother-in-law Edward and Elisabeth Sereda. Lee will be remembered as a very proud, hardworking, stubborn Norwegian who had a very huge heart and a special soft spot for his home and family, especially his grandchildren.