Mass of Christian Burial for Leonard Cook age 82 of Glad Valley, SD will be 10:00 AM Saturday, December 28, 2013 at Holy Cross Catholic Church. Burial will be in the Timber Lake Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Visitation will be Friday, December 27, 2013 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM with a Rosary at 7PM at the church Leonard passed away Tuesday, December 24, 2013 at Medicine Wheel Village in Eagle Butte.

Leonard Ivan Cook, son of Norman and Ethel (Traversie) Cook, one of nine children was born on October 14, 1931, in a log house at the Andrew (Grandpa) Traversie ranch, ten miles southwest of Timber Lake. He attended the first four years of school at the Lind Country School, four years at St. Joseph Indian School in Chamberlain, SD and two years of high school at Marty Mission School at Wagner, SD. He left school when his Mother passed in 1949 and returned to Timber Lake.

He joined the United States Army in 1953 and served in the Korean War until he was honorably discharged in 1955. Upon his return to Timber Lake he married the love of his life Estelle Dahlgren in 1956 and made their home south of Timber Lake and started a family. Then in 1957 they moved to the Glad Valley area. Besides raising six children Leonard and Estelle raised cattle and purebred Rambouillet Sheep.

During his life in Glad Valley Leonard was involved in various organizations. He was a lifetime member of the Edwin Hodgdon American Legion Post 124 in Dupree, SD, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Faith, SD. The Cook Sisters Rambouillet was selected as the National Rambouillet Purebred producer of the year in 1979. He served time as the Director of the National Rambouillet Association, Western Junior Livestock, South Dakota 4-H Program and a member of the Ziebach County 4-H Leaders Association.

Leonard enjoyed meeting people. He had many friends from all over the country and liked to visit with individuals at the sheep shows they attended.

Grateful for having shared his life for 57 years is Estelle and his six children: Ethel (John) Hill, Dawn (Mike) Stocklin, Judy (Bernie) Anderson, Lenny (Ardys) Cook, Carol (Alvin) Veit and Daniel (Sheila) Cook. He has two sisters still living Sharon Trudell of Aurora, CO and Donna Ager of Citurs Springs, FL. He is survived by 16 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren.

Leonard is preceded in death by his parents, Norman and Ethel; three brothers, Melvin, Julius and Anthony; three sisters, Patricia Lindgren, Marlys Gray, and Nina Hicks; two grandsons, Alvin Franklin (Red) Veit and Boe Michael Stocklin and one granddaughter Kathryn Estelle Cook; one son-in-law, Larry Schuchhardt.