Leon M. Josephsen

FUNERAL SERVICES FOR LEON M. JOSEPHSEN HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SATURDAY, FUNERAL SERVICES WILL BE MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023 AT 10:30 AM AT TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH.

Leon M. Josephsen age 93 of Arlington, SD, passed away Thursday, March 9, 2023, at the V.A. Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD.   Funeral service will be 10:30 AM Saturday, March 18, 2023 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Arlington. Visitation will be Friday, March 17, 2023 from 5:00 to 7:00  PM at Johnson-Henry Funeral Home of Arlington. Interment will be in the Arlington City Cemetery.  Service will be live streamed on the Johnson-Henry website under Leon's obituary.
 

Leon Mads Josephsen was born October 29, 1929, (black Thursday) to Marius and Andrea (Larsen) Josephsen, the sixth of eight children. He was born a short time after the family had bought and moved to the farm northwest of Arlington. He worked on the family’s farm while growing up. He was a very clean person, so farm life wasn’t the best for him. He loved education, learning, and helping and that is what drove him to city life.

He was educated in the public school of Arlington and rural school #39. Upon graduation from high school, he attended a summer session at General Beadle State College and started teaching the same fall. He taught rural schools for four years before being inducted into the military.

Military basic training was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma followed by a 3 ½ year tour of duty with the 1 st Cavalry Division in Northern Japan, as a clerk typist in the Chief of Staff’s Office of the division.  Returning home in 1954, he entered SDSU and later graduated with a degree in music and English. He was a Professor and teacher for 25 years.

On August 11, 1956 he married his true love, Odessa Anderson, and to this union 3 sons were born: Kevin, Jeffrey and Jon.

Leon was active in the American Legion for many years where he served in local, county, and state offices and received many lifetime awards.  He and his family returned to Arlington where they owned and operated the Dairy Mart. After they sold the Dairy Mart, factory work was his next profession. Arlington blessed him with so many jobs.  For 16 years he was on the Arlington Ambulance crew. He was active as choir director for several years and also as a confirmation instructor in the Trinity Lutheran Church where he was baptized and confirmed. He was a bus driver. He worked at Arlington Care Center as special services coordinator, and later retiring from work at the local medical clinic with Dr. Redfish. This community kept him very busy. He was so talented and did all his jobs with confidence and a smile. He made friends everywhere he went.

Leon is survived by his three sons, Kevin (Berdyne) Josephsen of Garretson, SD, Jeffrey (Brenda) Josephsen of Alpena, MI, Jon (Jahne) Josephsen of Arlington, SD, many grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Odessa, five brothers – twins, Lyle and Leon, Marvin and Lyle, Dean, and two sisters Maxine Converse and Marlys Larson.

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