John Leuer

JOHN EDWARD "Ed" LEUER, age 82, of Sugar Grove, formerly of Elburn, passed away Monday, March 4, 2013, at Provena McAuley Manor. He was born March 24, 1930, in Geneva, IL, the son of Peter and Kathryn (Lyness) Leuer. Ed grew up in Elburn and attended Elburn Elementary. He graduated from Marmion Military Academy where he won the top award in History. He graduated with the class of 1948. Ed met the love of his life in the heart of his faith while singing in the choir at St. Gall Catholic Church. What began as friendship bloomed into love and before long they were united in marriage on October 28, 1950. They began their new life as man and wife on Marie’s family farm on Hughes Road where Ed tilled the land and tended cattle. A year later the family grew by two when twin girls, Yvonne and Yvette, were born and the family moved to Sugar Grove. They weren’t finished growing however as Timothy, Mark, Patrick, Daniel, Kathleen, Stephen and Lisa followed to make the family complete. Ed worked on local farm lands, as well as fields in Minnesota, for forty years until he walked away from the land he loved so much. He didn’t venture far as he went from farming to buying cattle to later, appraising real estate. In order to keep up with all of his business dealings, he sported the first car phone in the area, a monstrous block of technology in the 1960’s. As cattle buying died out in the 1970’s, he and Marie opened Leuer Realty in Elburn in 1976. Thousands of farming families found a friend in Ed who specialized in appraising the land of his youth. His son Dan joined him in the late 1990’s and Ed then transitioned into retirement ( in name only). The reality was that he still came to the office every day making sure the benefit of his wisdom was available at a moment’s notice. In 2009, Alzheimer’s came to call, bringing an end to his realty reign, but never his love of his family, his business and his community. Ed was a faithful member of St. Gall Catholic Church, as well as their Men’s Group. He also donated thousands of hours to the Elburn Lion’s Club, lining up the parade that passed his office front for many years. Ed was the President of the Aurora Board of Realtors and an officer of the Realtors Land Institute. Ed was an avid racing fan, especially stock cars and was a regular at Bob Jo Speedway in Sycamore. Boats and fishing also peaked his interest both at local fishing holes as well as at their home on Florida’s Gulf Coast where they spent many winters. He loved to walk everyday but on the occasion when he stopped moving long enough to sit down, Ed loved to tuck into the nearest suspense novel. He didn’t stop Ed had the "gift of gab" and loved to regale anyone with a story about anything, many times with a thread of truth thrown in for good measure. He was a regular at several local coffee shops, catching up with the latest and greatest news about town and seemed to know just about everyone. You couldn’t even buy a newspaper in a neighboring state without running into a friend of Ed’s. Everything Ed did was done with conviction. His work ethic was second to none and was passed down to his children and grandchildren, whom he loved with all his heart. He is survived by his loving wife Marie, Nine children: Yvonne Keifer, Yvette (Jim) Hogan, Tim Leuer, Mark (Fran) Leuer, Pat (JoAnn) Leuer, Dan (Sherry) Leuer, Kathy (Bob) Herrejon, Steve (Anna Durso) Leuer and Lisa (Rick) Reuter; 19 grandchildren: Doug (Renee`) Keifer and their children, Madison and Brennan, Jeff (Jamie) Keifer and their children, Jillian and Jayden, Marty (Stephanie) Keifer, Stephanie (Andy) Lank and their children, Kinley and Finn, Patrick Leuer, Ryan Leuer, Sara Leuer, Aaron (Vanessa) Leuer and their daughter Lilly (with one on the way!), Alisha (Steve Arce) Leuer, Gabriella Herrejon, Alex Herrejon, Ben Herrejon, Adam Leuer, Caroline Leuer, Matt Leuer, Kyle Leuer, Elisabeth Reuter and Jacob Reuter; Three brothers: Howard (Carole) Leuer, Tom (Marilyn) Leuer and Joe (Toni) Leuer; Many nieces, nephews, and truly a countryside of friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, Peter and Kathryn, two brothers: Fr. Mark Leuer and David Leuer and one son-in-law, Bill Keifer. Visitation will be from 3-7 p.m., with a wake service to conclude visitation, Monday, March 11, 2013, at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL. A mass to celebrate his faith will be Tuesday, March, 12, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Gall Catholic Church with a visitation from 9:30-10:15 a.m. Fr. Tim Seigel, pastor of the church, will officiate with interment at St. Gall Cemetery, Elburn. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established in his name to benefit Ed’s favorite charities including Alzheimer’s Association. Checks may be made to the "John Edward Leuer Memorial" and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, 60119. Tributes may also be forwarded to the same address or on the web at www.conleycare.com where you can also find his full life story.