Leon Eugene Severence (October 25, 1923 - June 05, 2016) Leon Severance, age 92, of Gillette, WY, died peacefully on June 5, 2016 at the Pioneer Manor in Gillette. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 AM on Thursday, June 9, 2016 at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Redfield, SD. Father Gregg Frankman will celebrate the mass. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Zell. Visitation will be Wednesday from 3-5:30 PM at Thelen-Hyke Funeral Home in Redfield with a Scriptural Rosary at 5:30 PM. Arrangements have been entrusted to Thelen-Hyke Funeral Home in Redfield. (www.thelen-hykefuneralhome.com) Leon was born October 25, 1923 in Faulkton, SD to Ernest and Katherine (Gasell) Severance. His mother died when he was about 2 years old. Shortly after that, his family moved to Clark. When he was in high school, he excelled in sports, especially golf. He helped build the original golf course in Clark and worked there during high school. He also worked at the movie theater. He graduated in 1941 and began working with his father at a filling station in Clark. He met Lucille Jungwirth and started courting her just before he joined the Navy and entered WWII on December 23, 1942. He was stationed on the USS Enterprise as an electrician. He was discharged September 1945 and returned to Clark to work for his father. He married Lucille in 1948 in Zell. In 1953, Leon started working for the Farmers Elevator in Zell, hauling fuel to all the nearby farmers and taking in grain. He was an avid pheasant and waterfowl hunter, as well as a fisherman. He enjoyed playing slow pitch softball and bowling on the Zell teams with his friends. He was an avid diehard Vikings and Twins fan. He hardly missed a game, whether on the radio or TV. He retired as Elevator Manager in 1985. He continued living in Zell until 2008, when he moved to Redfield. In 2010, he moved with his son to Gillette, WY, where he lived until his death. One of the highlights in his later years was to be able to attend one of the Honor Flights to Washington, DC to honor WWII veterans. Leon was an avid book reader and read over 500 books while he was living in Wyoming. He also loved telling war stories and would talk the ear off of anyone who would stop and listen. Leon is survived by his three children: Cheryl Severance of Aberdeen, Marilee (Dennis) Furman of Groton, and Rob (Laura Puffer) Severance of Gillette, WY; six grandchildren; ten great grandchildren; and two sisters- in-law: Agnes Corkins of Spearfish and Crystal Jungwirth of Redfield. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Lucille in 2004, his brother Bob Severance, his sister Katherine Rex, and two grandchildren.