Ament, Leonard John 1934-2008
AMENT, GRACE, THOMPSON, GUISE, KAGEL
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 8/9/2012 at 16:50:21
Leonard J. Ament, age 73, of Decorah, Iowa, died Monday, January 7, 2008 at his home in Decorah following a long illness.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 2:00 P.M. Saturday, January 12, 2008 at St. Paul Catholic Church in Worthington, Iowa by Rev. Richard J. Ament. Inurnment will be in the church cemetery with military honors. There will be a luncheon after the service in Worthington, to be held at the Country Junction Restaurant, Highways 20 & 136, Dyersville, IA, with friends and relatives invited.
Friends may call from 5:00 to 7:30 P.M. Friday at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah.
Leonard John Ament was born November 18, 1934 at home in Hopkinton, Iowa, the son of Leo Bernard and Mary Agnes (Grace) Ament, the fifth child in a family of six children. He attended grade school and high school at St. Paul Catholic School in Worthington, IA, graduating with the class of 1952. He attended Loras College in Dubuque, IA where he graduated with the class of 1956. After several years at North American College in Rome, Italy, he joined the Army on September 10, 1959. He attended the U.S. Army Language School at Monterey, CA, where he learned to speak modern Greek.
In 1962 he married Ophelia Nave Thompson in Carmel, California. They were stationed in Europe and lived in Germany & Italy, where he was a Greek Interpreter for the U.S. Army until he was honorably discharged on February 16, 1965. They then returned to the United States and Leonard worked for a home builder in Syracuse, NY for a short time. Following this, the family returned to Eastern Iowa where Leonard first worked in Cedar Rapids and then he worked for Fangman Cabinet shop in Dyersville. In 1977 he moved to Decorah and started his own cabinet shop, called Winneshiek Woodworking. In 1980 he closed his shop and worked for Calmar Manufacturing until his retirement on April 30, 1996.
Besides his love of woodworking, Leonard had an astute mind and loved to read. In particular, he had a love of languages, and dictionaries and books on the history of the English language were always at his side. In spite of ill health the past several years, Leonard remained mobile, self-sufficient and had a very positive attitude about life. His optimism was an inspiration to others and he always had time to be neighborly.
Leonard is preceded in death by his wife Ophelia on October 13, 2006; a sister Pauline (Guise) of East Moline, IL on February 10, 1988; and his parents, Leo & Mary Ament.
He is survived by his son, George (Jacqui) Ament, of Foothill Ranch, CA; three brothers Donald (Irene) Ament of Bayport, MN, Leo (Nina) Ament of Downers Grove, IL, and Wilfred (Mary) Ament, of Waukon, IA; and one sister, Grace (John) Kagel, of Bartonville, IL.
Memorials may be given to a library of your choice, in Leonard’s honor and memory.
Source: Fjelstul Funeral Home database
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Jeff Getchell.
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