Leon L "Lee" Umland

Leon L. “Lee” Umland, 74, of North Sioux City, South Dakota, passed away Friday, November 16, 2018. Abiding by his wishes, his body was donated to UNMC.  A Memorial service will be 12:30 P.M. Saturday, December 1, 2018 at Calvary Lutheran Church.  Visitation will be Friday, November 30, 2018 from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. with a prayer service at 7:00 P.M. all at the church.   Lee was born June 27, 1944 to Florence (Jauert) and Freddie Umland in Luverne, Minnesota.  He grew up on the farm and his parents instilled in him a love of God, country and nature as well as a strong work ethic.  He served in the Army National Guard and was honorably discharged in 1965.  He graduated from Mankato State College in 1967 with a BS in Biology and a BA in business and was then employed by Texaco in sales.  In 1975, he fulfilled a dream to become self-employed opening Ace Sign Displays in South Sioux City and later expanded with Commercial Sign & Design in Storm Lake, Iowa. Lee and Sharon (Broecker) were married in 1967 and worked together in the business for 43 years.  Lee would say, “I went to play, not work”.  An avid pheasant hunter, his joy came most in training his dogs.  He passed that love of animals and nature onto his son, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews as he enjoyed taking them along on hunts.  A very important part of his life was reading and studying, especially the Bible.  Lee enjoyed sharing his knowledge with family and leading Bible studies at church.  For 15 years he shared the stories of missionaries with various area LCMS congregations through his work with Mission Central.  His passion was that everyone he met should know about Jesus. Lee is survived by his wife, Sharon of 51 years; son, Chad Umland and his wife, Nicole; grandchildren, Carissa, Brody, and Keegan Umland all of Sioux City; sister, Ellen Bennett of Rapid City, South Dakota; sister-in-law, Jean Umland of Las Vegas, Nevada; brother-in-law, Jerry Broecker and his wife, Sherry of Forest Lake, Minnesota; and many nephews, nieces, great nephews and nieces, cousins, and loving friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Daryl Umland; and brother-in-law, Ed Bennett.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Mission Central, 40718 Hwy E16, Mapleton, Iowa 51034, Calvary Lutheran Church, or Hospice of Siouxland.