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On August 31, 1947 he was united in marriage to Mildred Markworth at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in York. They resided on their family farm near Benedict where they would be blessed with over 71 years of marriage. Leabert was a lifelong farmer and drove school bus for many years. He enjoyed photography and developing his own pictures. He loved to hunt and fish and always had his favorite dog alongside. Many early dates and family outings were spent fishing on the banks of the Blue River and Lincoln Creek along with a picnic lunch. He enjoyed playing baseball in his younger days and continued to watch baseball and Husker football throughout his life. He had a great passion for gardening which he continued to enjoy well into his retirement. His greatest joy was spending time with his family and joining in all their activities.
Leabert was a prior member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, where he enjoyed playing dart ball and a charter member of Faith Lutheran Church in York.
He is survived by his son Gary (Cheryl) Reetz of York, and daughters Cheryl (Doug) Deprez of Benedict, and Sandra Wolfe of Polk, NE. His grandchildren include; Clayton (Beth) Deprez, Michelle Kreifels, Lee (Leslie) Wolfe, Melanie Hansel, Sarah (Syd) Hamilton, Justin (Melissa) Reetz. Great grandchildren include; Kenzie, Rachel, Jackson, Jovie, Braylon, Amirah, Mavrik, Lenayah, Blake and Liv. Also surviving is his sister, Lois Smith of York, sister-in-law’s Luella (Delbert) Holtzen of Deshler and Lola Reetz of Stromsburg, nieces, nephews and a host of friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, parents-in-law Edward and Mathilde (Dinkelman) Markworth, wife Mildred, infant daughter Connie Sue and his son-in-law Dan Wolfe, brother Eugene Reetz, sister and her husband, Norman Jean (Al) Havlat, sister in laws and husbands, Ruth (Harry) Maronde and Esther (Kenneth) Klute, Brother-in-laws Ervin Heiden, Ted Snider, Roy Holtzen and Forrest Smith.
Funeral services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m., Monday, November 16, 2020 at Faith Lutheran Church in York with the Reverend Paul Kern officiating. Interment will follow in St. Paul Cemetery north of York. Visitation will be Sunday from 1-8:00 p.m. COVID 19 Funeral Guidelines will be implemented with limited spaced seating (25% occupancy), 6 feet of separation between household units and masks required. Leabert’s service will be livestreamed on the church’s website at http://www.faithlutheranyork.com/. Memorials may be directed to the family for later designation.