Leo Voigt

Longtime Bismarck resident Leo Voigt died on Thursday June 13th, 2024 at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center after a long illness. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1:00PM, Wednesday, June 19 at Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary, 825 E Broadway Ave, Bismarck.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00PM, with a rosary/vigil service starting at 7:00PM, Tuesday, June 18 at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Visitation will continue at Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary one hour before Mass begins.

There will be a graveside service immediately following Mass at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bismarck. 

 A gathering of friends and family will take place at the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary after the graveside service to celebrate Leo’s life. 

Leo Joseph Voigt was born on September 20, 1939 to Adam and Agnes Voigt in Bismarck. He was the oldest of four brothers and proud to call himself a “Boxcar Kid” because during his early years his family lived in a boxcar that Adam had made into their home. Growing up south of the tracks was difficult but it taught Leo the value of hard work and self-improvement that he carried his entire life. 

Leo attended Bismarck High School and graduated in 1958. He went on to serve his country in the US Navy where he toured the Pacific and learned how to repair instruments and became a skilled diver. When his service was over, Leo returned to North Dakota and attended ND State College of Science in Wahpeton, ND where he earned his degree in Electrical Theory. Leo then returned to Bismarck and after working in various roles he became a serviceman at JCPenney in downtown Bismarck. 

It was at JCPenney where Leo met Laeticia Kilzer and they were married May 10, 1969. Leo then took a job with the phone company and that became his lifelong career. He worked in Grafton, ND, Langdon, ND, Minneapolis, MN, and Bismarck, ND before he retired. Leo was especially proud of earning his bachelor’s degree and then his MBA from the University of Mary as an older than average student.

Leo was also very well known for his acts of service no matter where he went. In Langdon he was a volunteer EMT for the community ambulance and he was a founding father of what is now the ND EMS Association. After moving to Bismarck, he joined the Bismarck Rural Fire Department where he was a volunteer firefighter and later became a board member. He wrote grants for the fire department that saved taxpayer money and bought trucks and equipment that are still in use today. He was also active in various civic clubs like the Jaycees and he enjoyed being a leader in the Boy Scouts of America. Leo was also always an active member of the Catholic Church and served as Eucharistic minister and sat on parish council at St. Mary’s Church. Leo was also a member of the Knights of Columbus. 

During his life, Leo prided himself on being an advocate for vulnerable persons, especially the elderly, and after he retired he was a volunteer advocate for the elderly with the State of ND. He would frequently go out to the elderly in the community to make sure they were safe and properly cared for.

Another source of happiness for Leo was raising his family with Laeticia. He encouraged Michael, Melissa, Mark, and Matthew to work hard and always stressed the importance of education to them. Because of his self-sacrifice Leo provided all of his children with catholic educations and they all went on to earn degrees, become successful professionals, and share in his sense of community service. After his family was grown, Leo enjoyed seeing his grandchildren and sharing his values with them. 

Leo was always known to be someone who enjoyed meeting new people and he could strike up a conversation with someone everywhere he went. 

Leo is survived by his wife Laeticia; sons, Michael, Mark, and Matthew (Angie); son-in-law, Tom Horner; ten grandchildren; one brother, Max (Dee); numerous nieces and nephews and many wonderful brothers and sisters-in-law.

Leo was preceded in death by his parents, Adam and Agnes Voigt; his brothers, Clarance and Marvin along with Marvin’s wife, Marty Voigt. Also preceding Leo in death were his daughter, Melissa Horner; great-grandson, Jermiah Rust; his father-in-law, Edmund Kilzer; mother-in-law, Karen Kilzer, as well as Charles Kilzer and Blaise Deichert, his brothers-in-law, and Michael Kilzer, his nephew.

Because Leo believed in personal achievement and the importance of education in lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to Light of Christ Catholic Schools.