Leisy, Homer Carl (1894-1948)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1948 Jun 23 p. 3

Birth date: 1894 Jul 21

text of obituary:

HOMER CARL LEISY

Homer Carl Leisy, the son of Emil and Magdalena Leisy, was born at Moundridge, Kansas on July 21, 1894, and passed away at the Salem, Ore. Memorial hospital, June 10, 1948, at 1:20 a.m. at the age of 53 years 10 months and 19 days.

He graduated from the Moundridge high school and he and his family moved to a farm near Pratum, Oregon in 1912. later he attended Bethel College at Newton, Kansas.

On July 26, 1916, he was married to Bertha Roth of Pratum and they lived happily together for nearly 32 years. Following their marriage, they lived in Hutchinson, Kansas for more than a year while he finished his course in interior decorating.

In 1917 they moved to Portland, Oregon where he was the head of the drapery department at Edwards Furniture Co. Later the family moved to Salem, Oregon where he had charge of the drapery department at the H. L. Stiff Furniture Co. In 1929 he established his own drapery department in the Imperial Furniture Co. In 1939 he received a call from the Lord to go into full-time service and accepted the charge of the Grace Mennonite church at Dallas, Oregon.

He accepted the Lord as his personal Savior at an early age and was a member of the Mennonite church near Moundridge, Kansas until the family moved to Oregon, at which time he transferred his membership to the Emmanuel Mennonite church at Pratum. He was the Sunday School superintendent there at two different times — once at the age of 19 and the last time for 12 successive years. It was while he held this office that he accepted the call to the Grace Mennonite church at Dallas.

He was ordained an elder and received into the membership of the Grace church on October 15, 1939. The Lord abundantly blessed the work and there were 280 added to the membership of the church during his ministry. He loved evangelistic work and spent all of his free time, including all vacation time, preaching in other states. His hobby was making charts and drawing religious cartoons, for which he was well known.

He was the president of the Pacific District conference for two terms, as well as holding various other offices within the district conference. During the term ending in 1947 he was vice-president of the General Conference. He was a member of the Salem Memorial Hospital Board for many years. During the last nine years he held a number of different offices in the Dallas Ministerial Association.

On March 3 of this year, he submitted to a major operation at Portland for the removal of a cancer of the bladder. The operation was seemingly a complete success and he recovered rapidly and was able to resume preaching on April 6. He continued preaching for three Sundays when he became so weak that he was forced to discontinue and became bedfast.

On May 4, he returned to the Portland hospital for an examination. It was found that the cancer cells had spread to a different location. More surgery was not advisable and two weeks later he was transferred to the Salem Memorial hospital where he remained until his death.

To the very end, he spent many hours in prayer as he was always concerned for the spiritual welfare of his people. Even during his suffering, the work of the church was constantly on his mind.

Surviving are his wife, Bertha; two daughters, Mrs. Homer Welty of Salem, and Mrs. Vernon Dyck of Dallas; and four granddaughters, Adele, Ann, Cleone and Marilyn Welty. One daughter Dorothy, and one grandson, Don Welty, preceded him in death. He also leaves four sisters and six brothers: Mrs. Reuben Luginbill, Mrs. Wm. Bartel, Mrs. Robert Warren, Harvey, Edward, Elmer and Welddon Leisy of Portland, Mrs. Dan Steffen and Walter Leisy of Silverton, and Dr. E. E. Leisy, of Dallas, Texas.

The Mennonite obituary: 1948 Jun 29 p. 2