Donald (Don) G. Leinwander passed away on October 6th, 2019.  Formerly of Cedar, MN, he moved to Minong, WI, in 2017.

Don was born in Marshfield, WI, on May 26, 1942, to Norbert and Josephine (Liturski) Leinwander.  He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Patricia (Mortimer).  Don graduated from Columbus High School in 1960, was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1964, and graduated from DeVry Technical Institute in 1966.  On November 6, 1971, Don was united in marriage to Paulette (Polly) (Mullins) in Stratford, WI.  During his time in the Air Force Don had the honor and privilege of participating in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, as an alternate in swimming – losing by 0.02 of a second.  He was very proud of this accomplishment.  After graduating from DeVry Tech, he moved to the Twin Cities and worked for Control Data, where the team he worked with created a dilude used in the first manned spaceship to the moon.  Don had commented numerous times how he shed a few tears when that ship landed, knowing he was part of it.  Don enjoyed swimming and, in earlier years, water skiing.  His love for fishing with his son was as great as his passion for the Packers.  He always made sure the birds were well fed and loved to watch them, as well as the deer grazing in the yard.  Don enjoyed working with wood and built their homes in both MN and in Minong.  He was a man of many talents.  His hands were always busy, from making kitchen cabinets to repairing anything electronic, electrical or mechanical.

Don is survived by his wife and lifelong partner Polly, son Cory (Rodella), sister Jan (Bob), nephews Wyndham and William.  He will be missed by family members, brother-in-law Perry (Caroline), nephew Will, extended family Josh, Faith, Lilly, and other family members and friends.  Per Don’s wishes, he wanted a simple funeral.  A gathering of family and friends will be held at the Spooner Funeral Home from 11 until Noon on Monday, October 14, 2019.  A burial with full military honors will follow at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Spooner, WI.  In lieu of flowers the family wishes are for donations made in Don’s memory to the Regional Hospice Services Spooner/Grantsburg office, 819 Ash Street, Spooner, WI 54801.  The family wishes to thank the Hayward Area Memorial Hospital; St. Luke’s Hospital, Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center, and the Oncology Department, Duluth; Spooner Health, Essentia Health-Spooner Clinic, and the Infusion Center at Spooner.  A special thank you to Dr. Bruce Bray, the Regional Hospice team Spooner/Grantsburg and our very caring and helpful neighbors.  We could not have gone through this journey without everyone’s help and support.  Arrangements were entrusted to the Spooner Funeral Home.  Online condolences may be shared with Don’s family at www.bratley-nelsonchapels.com.

Last Update: Oct 09, 2019 7:45 am CDT