Haddon Leibbrandt

Haddon Walter Leibbrandt
September 22, 1924 – August 5, 2008

Haddon "Lee" Leibbrandt was born September 22, 1924. He was the youngest of four children born to John and Katherine (Raile) Leibbrandt at the family farm ten miles west of St. Francis, Kansas. He departed this life at Life Care Center of Aurora on August 5, 2008.

He attended elementary school at East Gurney and graduated from St. Francis Community High School in 1942, where he was a two-time state wrestler.

He enlisted in the Merchant Marines in Denver, CO, in November 1944 where they delivered high test aviation fuel and airplane parts to various ships in the Pacific Theater. He saw service in Saipan, Antiwetoc, Luzon, Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines and finally, Okinawa. Haddon was honorably discharged at Richmond, CA, in August 1947.

Haddon married Joyce Metzler in May of 1948. For the next nine years, he was engaged in farming, and they became parents of three of their five children. In 1957, they moved to the Denver area. He began working in the electrical industry and joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. He worked in commercial and industrial construction, both locally and across the entire country. During this time, two more children were born, and he maintained farming operations in Kansas on weekends and during summers. He remained actively involved in farming throughout his entire life, and retired from the IBEW in 1989, after more than thirty years of service.

Haddon's recreational passion was Bronco football, and he became a season ticket holder the same year that John Elway joined the Bronco's. The back-to-back Super Bowl Championships were the highlight of his sporting enthusiasm.

Haddon was a member of the Evengelical United Brethren Church at the time of his marriage, and then became a member of the First United Methodist Church when the two churches merged. He later transferred membership to the Burns United Methodist Church, and finally to the Denver First Church of the Nazarene, where he remained a member until his death.

He was preceded in death by his parents, infant sister, Delphine, older brothers, Robert and Raymond, grandson Kerry Girardin, Jr., and daughter-in-law Danette Leibbrandt. He is survived by his wife of sixty years, Joyce, daughter Evelyn (Chris) Padilla, son Russell (Joan) Leibbrandt, daughter Marji (Terry) Randall, daughter Kerry (David) Wolpo, son John Leibbrandt, grandchildren Mikki, Melissa, Rachel, Austin, Ashira, Benjamin, great grandson, Dominic, sister-in-law Gladys Leibbrandt, and nephew, Robert Jr. (Barbara) Leibbrandt.

Graveside Service with Military Honors follwed by Interment:
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 2:00 PM ( Central Time)
St. Francis Cemetery
St. Francis,Kansas

In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Haddon's name to:
Colorado Cancer Research
2253 S. Oneida St.
3rd Floor Suite B
Denver, CO 80224
or
The Denver Hospice
501 S. Cherry St.
Suite 700
Denver,CO 80246