- Date Of Birth: July 14, 1942
- Date Of Death: March 20, 2019
- State: Idaho
Leonardus “Leo” Linning, age 76, passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 20, 2019, in his home in Idaho Falls.
Leo was born July 14, 1942, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Johannes and Elizabeth Tau Linning. He was always proud of his Dutch heritage and taught his children about it. After World War II, the family boarded a ship bound for America and Leo had his 8th birthday during the journey. Three siblings were born in Holland: Betty, John, and Rudy. Younger sisters, Connie and Leona, were born later in America.
The family moved to Whittier, California, where Leo attended elementary through high school. He loved sports (lettering in football, track and wrestling), student council, seminary council, animals, surfing, scouting, and BYU football. He worked at many different jobs when he was young, including beekeeping, door manufacturing, and picking avocados.
Leo attended BYU, where he was on the football team and where he met and later married Laura Hobbs on January 26, 1962. They had three children, Lisa, Leo Jr., and Laura. Throughout his life, Leo’s favorite time of year was BYU football season. He and Laura moved to Idaho Falls, where they opened a sewing machine and fabric store. He continued for the rest of his life selling and repairing sewing machines as the owner of Pfaff Sewing Center.
He and Laura divorced, and he later married a widow named Larraine Barzee Bush. She had two children from her previous marriage, Brig and Josh, and he was happy to embrace them as his own beloved children. To this new marriage were born Laramie, Logan, Lexie, and Leighton, making one ‘L’ of a family!
One of Leo’s greatest joys was supporting his kids in their activities. He spent countless hours attending athletic events, musical performances, and anything that was important to them.
