A Mass of Christian burial for Leo Koenig was held on Friday, October 20, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at the St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Fairfax, SD, with Father Jonathan Dillon officiating.
Mary Jo Koenig was lector, Norbert and Judy Koenig presented gifts, Steve Koenig was the Eucharistic minister, and Barrett, Cassidy, Josh Koenig and Isaac Burns were servers.
Music was provided by the St. Anthony’s choir and family members of Leo and Margaret’s, accompanied by Mary Koenig, organist. Lisa Fahey, Machelle Hale, and Laurie Pistulka were in charge of registration.
Casket bearers were grandsons of the three uncles, Henry, Joe and Leonard: Charlie Koenig, Dan Koenig, Joe Koenig, Kenny Koenig, Kevin Koenig, Luke Koenig, Matt Koenig, and Mike Koenig. Honorary casket bearers were Leo’s Livestock Feed Customers from 1985-2014.
Interment was in the St. Anthony’s Catholic Cemetery in Fairfax, SD. Clausen Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Leo Joseph Koenig was born September 6, 1947 in the Burke Hospital, to Aloys and Regina (Ulrich) Koenig.
Leo attended Star Valley country school for four years, and then went on to Fairfax Elementary in the fifth grade, graduating from Fairfax in 1966.
The year after high school his first job away from the farm was west of Kadoka, hauling gravel from the Bad River to a large stockpile where I-90 was just beginning to be built. On Sunday afternoons he would go into Kadoka and stop at the Ranch Store, where he would visit with his former high school superintendent, Emery Herring. That was his first introduction to the tourist industry.
Three years later he spent several months at the Cottonwood Range Research station in the process of completing his degree in Range Management from SDSU. During this time, he had become acquainted with the Philip and Kadoka area and decided then that was where he hoped to work after graduating from SDSU in January of 1971.
He was working for Brookings Livestock Auction and happened to be trucking through Corona where Emery Herring happened to be teaching. Several hours later he was the owner of the Ranch Store, had the store moved to Cactus Flats on Loop 240. For the next several years, he ran the Ranch Store during the summer and then in the fall and winter he would travel back to the farm to help with harvest and livestock.
In 1984, he was hired as a sales representative for Moorman Mfg. Company, which was eventually bought out by Archer Danials Midland. On June 4, 1999, he married Margaret Schmidt, who was teaching in the area.
Leo retired from ADM in December of 2014. The Ranch Store was sold in the spring of the following year. Leo and Margaret moved back to the farm where Leo was raised. During retirement, Leo enjoyed feeding cattle with his cousins and making the transition of the farm to the younger generation.
He died October 16, 2023 at his home under hospice care. He is survived by his wife Margaret; siblings Don Koenig of Missouri, sister Marge Mikuska of Rapid City, SD, and Norbert (Judy) Koenig of Fairfax, SD; and eleven nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents Aloys and Regina; brother Dennis; brother-in-law Gene Mikuska; sister-in-law Patricia Koenig, and grandparents on both sides.
