John Milton Lebsack, 92, passed peacefully on Friday, September 1, 2023 in Windsor, Colorado.
John was born on August 5, 1931 to Jacob and Pauline Lebsack, and was number eight of nine children. The story told by his older siblings is that John was found in the Little Thompson River and resuscitated in the oven. John graduated from Johnstown High School and joined his father and brother Robert on the family farm between Berthoud and Johnstown.
John served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from December 1952 to November 1954. He was stationed in Germany and had many stories about his time there. John met Myra Sterkel in church in 1955 and they were married a year later. John and Myra farmed for over 40 years, where they worked side by side to raise three children and grow sugar beets, beans, corn, alfalfa, and barley. John and his brother Robert formed the Hydro Screen Company that manufactured machines to remove debris from irrigation water. John and Myra were active in the United Methodist Church of Berthoud and various farming organizations including the Beet Growers Association and the Soil Conservation Board, where they made many lifelong friends and enjoyed annual trips to conferences and to see family members.
After retirement, John and Myra moved to Windsor, where John worked part-time for NAPA and made mission trips to Costa Rica, Bolivia, and Russia. John enjoyed working in the yard with Myra and spending time with his four grandchildren, who called him “Grampa”. John and Myra were active members of Faith Church in Windsor, and John was a regular at the Saturday morning PAMVETS breakfasts in Loveland. John was a devoted husband and father and a loving grandfather. John lost the love of his life when Myra passed in May 2022.
John is survived by sisters Lillian Knight and Ruby Spaur, children Jeffrey (Blythe Merrill), Jon (Lisa Kaiser), and Jennifer; and grandchildren Jacob, Spencer, Slade, and Audrey.
The date for a celebration of John’s life will be announced soon.
