October 3, 1931 - May 10, 2024
Dr. Leland F. Asa of Berthoud, Colorado passed away on May 10, 2024.
He was born in 1931 in Morrill, Nebraska to Forrest Linden Asa, son of Dr. Athenus Lewis Asa, and Ilene Faye Knox, daughter of Frederick H. Knox. He graduated from high school in Torrington, Wyoming and spent a lot of time in his youth working on his Uncle Alton Asa’s ranch in Morrill, Nebraska. He loved the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. After high school he attended Northwestern College in Minnesota.
During the summer between high school and college he met Alice Evelyn Moore of Long Pine, Nebraska and they were married a year later, in 1952.
Leland and Alice finished their bachelor’s degrees at Northwestern and then Alice received her master’s degree at Macalester College in St. Paul and Leland finished his masters of divinity at Trinity Seminary in Chicago.
After graduation, Leland took on the pastorate of a small church plant in Omaha, Nebraska with the Evangelical Free Church. After a successful several years there, he decided to pursue a teaching career. He finished a master’s degree in psychology at the University of Omaha and his doctoral degree in psychology at the University of Wyoming.
From there, Leland and Alice went to Langley, British Columbia, Canada, to help with the beginnings of a new college, Trinity Western. Leland and Alice both taught at the college and Leland served as dean of students and then academic dean of the college.
In 1975 Leland moved his family to Santa Barbara, California and began teaching in the psychology department at Westmont College in Montecito. He served as the department chair for several years. One of his highlights at Westmont was annually taking a group of students to Europe to teach them Art History.
Leland retired from teaching at Westmont in 1998 and moved to a farm in
Berthoud, Colorado. He had lived in Berthoud for several years as a child—with his grandparents who farmed east of town—and was drawn back to the area.
Leland loved to fly and owned several aircraft throughout his life. He was a Rotarian for 62 years and a member of the Loveland Rotary Club for the past 54 years. Leland was a member of the Grace Evangelical Free Church in Longmont, Colorado.
Alice Evelyn passed away in 1995 and Leland remarried Alice Marie Doty.
He is survived by his wife Alice Marie Asa, his sister Sally Pope, his daughter Sandra Lundberg (Kevin) of Berthoud, and his son Bert Asa (Tracey) of Berthoud, his grandchildren Dr. Scott Lundberg (Laura), Laura Stephens (Philip), Josh Asa, Katie Gentili (Tim), and Christy Lundberg, and great-grandchildren Owen, Olivia, Bentley, and Aisling. He is also survived by Alice Marie’s immediate family.
Leland will be remembered as a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. He was always a wise, steady, calm man at home, church, and at work. He will be buried in Morrill, Nebraska. A memorial service will be held at Grace Evangelical Free Church in Longmont, Colorado on May 28, 2024 at 2:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be given to the Alice and Mabel Asa Scholarship fund at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia, Canada: 22500 University Drive, Langley, B.C., Canada V2Y 1Y1
604-888-7511
Memorial Service
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Grace Evangelical Free
2415 Lake Park Dr,
Longmont, CO 80503
