Leland "Lee" Mansfield

December 14, 1936 - January 29, 2013

Leland "Lee" Mansfield, 76, of Huntley formerly of Carpentersville, Manitowoc, WI and Sault Sainte Marie, MI passed away Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at Centegra Memorial Hospital in Woodstock. He was born December 14, 1936 in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan the son of Thomas and Cecilia (Bailey) Mansfield.  His father died when Lee was just an infant.  His mother remarried and gave him six brothers and a sister.  Lee graduated from Loretto Catholic Central High School in 1955.  Shortly after high school, in search of work, he traveled to Two Rivers, WI where he found work at a local factory.  Shortly thereafter, he met and soon married Dorothy Burns with whom he had four children.  Anxious for new opportunities, Lee and Dorothy moved to the Chicago area where he was hired by Northwest Airlines at O'Hare Int'l Airport as a mechanic.  He was a much valued and dedicated employee at Northwest for 47 years until his retirement in 2003.  Lee and Dorothy divorced in1986.  In 1992 he married Helga Roth. Once Lee retired, he and Helga traveled extensively through the U.S. and Europe.  They shared almost 21 years together before his passing. Lee will always be remembered for his willingness to lend a helping hand.  He didn't ask questions.  He didn't complain.  He just grabbed his coat and did what needed doing.  He was a Green Bay Packer fan, he enjoyed boating, was a longtime member of the Huntley Penguins Snowmobile Club and he enjoyed his social membership at the Dundee VFW for more than three decades.  He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, everyone listened.  His mechanical ability was unrivaled.  If anything needed fixing, Lee was the one to figure it out for himself. Survivors include his beloved wife Helga, his loving children Carol (Larry) Swieca, Mary (Dan) Ellison, Lee Ann (Dennis)Erhart and Thomas (Lisa) Mansfield, Ingo (Twila) Ehrfeld and Michele (Dana)Ingwalson, his cherished grandchildren Eric, Jordon, Thomas, Spencer, Sara, Maranda, Katie, Becca, and Angela,  Samantha, Alexandra and Allison his dear brothers and sister; Jay Dalgard, Francis Dalgard, Fred Dalgard, Dennis (Cathy) Dalgard, Dwayne (Mary Ann) Dalgard and Noreen Jolley and many fond nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. Visitation will be from 1:00 until the 4:00 PM Funeral Service Saturday, February 2, 2013 at the James A. O'Connor Funeral Home 11603 E. Main St., Huntley.  Interment will be private at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105 or at www.stjude.org