Harry Allen Leffler

Harry was born 11/16/1951 in Great Falls, Montana to Albert Lloyd Leffler and Eleanor Ethel

Smith Leffler. He passed away in hospice after a short battle with Multiple Myeloma.

His father worked for the Anaconda Copper Company smelter in Great Falls, Montana. His

parents never stayed in one home for very long. He lived in 14 different homes before

graduating from high school. Harry remembered all the different homes and every trip to

Great Falls included a guided tour. The mill strikes were devastating to the family finances,

but his dad always found money to buy another car. Harry inherited his father’s love of cars,

and he could tell you the year and model of nearly every car you would see on the road. Harry

had an older sister Pat, but he wanted a brother. He was disappointed when the next child

was born, and it was a girl. He later teased her with Shirley, Whirley, Girlie, Goat (stinky feet).

Later, sister Becky was born. Harry’s father took on a series of side jobs and Harry and Pat

would often get roped into assisting. Before he graduated from high school the family moved

into a home that had no room for Harry, so he moved in with his sister Pat and her husband.

After Pat moved out of state, he had his own apartment above the bus depot where he was

employed.

When he graduated from high school, he was looking at the prospect of being drafted for the

Vietnam war. He decided to enlist in the Air Force to have a little more control over his future.

Most of his tour of duty was spent at Shemya Air Force Base, Alaska. In 1970, while still in

the Air force he married his high school sweetheart Rebecca Boozel. Becky lived in

Anchorage Alaska while Harry was stationed on Shemya Island. Harry and Becky enjoyed

this time in Alaska, camping and fishing in their off hours. He saved his money and when his

time in the service was over, they moved back to Montana. Harry enrolled in Montana State

University’s business program. He buckled down and got straight A’s. After graduation he

went to work in a local department store – Hennessy's. They were part of a larger

organization- Mercantile Stores. Soon he was promoted to a position in Kansas City Missouri,

becoming Director of PC systems in the early days of PCs. Later he became company

controller of Mercantile West.

Harry and Becky had one daughter Andrea. After they were divorced in 1984, Becky and

Andrea moved back to Great Falls. Harry loved his daughter and every spring he would make

the long car trip back to Montana to bring her back to KC. Sometimes his sister Shirley would

bring her daughter Melanie up to spend time with them. They would go to Royals baseball

games and to area water parks. These were happy times for Harry and Andrea. When

summer ended, he would make the trip again to take her back to her mom.

Harry had a habit of driving the wrong way to get out of the parking garage where he worked.

It was faster and usually didn’t cause any problems, until one day it disrupted a lady who

parked in the same garage. They met in the elevator and in 1991 they were married during

her lunch hour. Dale Sharon Hansen became his wife and best friend until his death. They

lived in Cincinnati for a while before returning to KC. At some point Mercantile Stores was

sold or merged and Harry no longer had a job. He tried a couple things, including bartender

training. He would have been a great bartender, but the hours were not conducive to a normal

lifestyle. He settled on Leffler Renovations LLC. “Residential property bought and sold.” He

became a Realtor around this time for Heart of America Homes. Later still he was approached

with an offer to start a new company – Strasburg Children – where he became Vice President

of Finance. Harry became disillusioned with the company founder, so he left Strasburg and

went to work for the IRS. In 2018 Harry and Dale had a beautiful home built in Rio Rancho,

New Mexico. The weather was usually nice and though it did snow a couple times, it was

gone later that day. In 2023 they decided it was time to move closer to family, so they moved

to Longview Washington. We had many “happy hours” with Harry and Dale.

Harry was preceded in death by his parents and both of his younger sisters. He is survived by

his wife Dale, daughter Andrea (Ron) Fox, sister Patricia (Bill) Tuss, one Grandson Colin Jack

Fox, nieces Melanie Haddock (Jonathan), Nicole Gulley, and Shelley Harpine and nephews

Rusty (Victoria) Harpine, Mike (Debbie) Harpine and Shawn Schiffer.

Harry was a great guy. Always quick with a joke and willing to help anyone who tried to help

themselves. We are all going to miss him very much.