George W. Leyda

Age 81

Beloved Husband, Dad, Grandpa

George W. Leyda, most recently of Grant, Minnesota, died on Tuesday, May 23, 2017.  He was preceded in death by his parents and 7 siblings.  George is survived by his wife of 55 years, Betty Jo (nee Burton);  children, Kim Leyda of St. Paul, George (and Jody) Leyda, Jr. of Hudson, WI, and Beth (and Jay) Hansen of Eden Prairie; grandchildren, Kelsey Brooks, Savannah Leyda, Carter Hansen, August Leyda, Lars Hansen, and Gretchen Hansen; brother Art Leyda of CA.  George grew up in Blasdell, NY, graduated from UCLA, retired from 3M Co. as a manager in the Printing Proofing Systems group, and was an Army Veteran.

George was born in 1936 to Fred and Esther Leyda in Lackawanna, NY.  He was an energetic and smart boy who grew up in the shadows of his 8 older brothers and sisters in Blasdell, NY, where the Leyda name was locally famous as his parents ran the only print shop in town.  Young "Butch" loved to play sports, but hockey was his favorite.  He was drafted by the Buffalo Bisons Minor Professional hockey team in his teens, but his hockey career was cut short with an eye injury.

When Butch graduated high school, he attended Pressman's Home Printing School near Rogersville, Tennessee.  At that time, Pressman's Home was the most prestigious printing school in the United States.  It was there that he met Betty Jo Burton and her family.   George spent a lot of time back and forth from NY to Tennessee, visiting Betty Jo and her friends until he enlisted in the Army and was sent overseas.

Upon entering the Army, George became a linguist and was immediately sent to language school in Monterey, California, where he became fluent in Russian and German.  While stationed in Austria and Germany, he perfected both his German and his skiing, priding himself at being considered a "local" in both qualities.  At his homecoming party in Blasdell, NY, he reconnected with Betty Jo, who his family had invited.  Their relationship was never again interrupted from that point on.

After George's first active duty, he enrolled in UCLA as a physics major.  Just prior to being recalled into the Army, he and Betty Jo married on October 23rd, 1961, in Burbank, California.  George and Betty Jo spent their next 6 years in the Los Angeles area while George attended UCLA and worked at a local printing company and gas station.  They had their three kids in California: Kim, Butch (George Jr.) and Beth.  Upon graduation from UCLA, George was offered a job in Minnesota working for 3M in their printing technology division, which was a perfect combination of his physics degree and his technical background as a printer.

In 1968 the young Leyda family loaded their Volkswagen van, which George had refurbished and outfitted as a camper, and made their way to Minnesota by way of Tennessee and Buffalo.  The family settled in White Bear Lake, a community with many other 3M families - some of whom remain close friends to this day.  George and Betty Jo raised their kids in Minnesota and fully embraced the local culture, engaging in such activities as skiing and boating.  George worked as a ski patrol and taught each of his kids to ski.  He and his good friend, Lowell Watson, salvaged a houseboat which they docked on both the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers.  Over the course of 20 years, the Leyda and Watson families had refurbished 2 houseboats and enjoyed many summers on the river.

They were members of First Presbyterian Church of White Bear Lake, where George served in many capacities, including the church choir.  The family continued to camp each summer during their long visits to either Tennessee or upstate New York each summer to visit relatives.

George was passionate about the printing industry and the study of color and light.  As only the second physicist to join 3M's printing lab, he played an integral part in the industry's transition from an art to a science, including the development of color quality control standards applicable to large commercial printers.  George was a featured speaker at many professional conferences.  After his retirement from 3M in 2003, George continued consulting with his company ColorInfo Technology, held a reasonable speaking engagement schedule, and hosted annual seminars with his "brain trust" group of industry professionals.  Throughout George's career he and Betty Jo made many dear friends and travelled to every corner of the United States together, creating many fond memories.

In 1980 the George Leyda family moved to Grant Township section of Mahtomedi, MN (later to be renamed the City of Grant), building a home on a 10 acre open field lot with a gravel road. George loved collecting farm implements and working in his garage, "yard", or pole barn.  In 1990, after his kids and boats had gone, he began to focus on perfecting his golf game. With this in mind, George created the "Crabgrass Ranch and Conference Center" at their Mahtomedi home, installing 9 holes and tee boxes, and maintaining a diligent mowing schedule.  That was the start of many years of fun summer memories including the annual "Crabgrass Open."  The course was not open to the public, but if you knew the owner or felt like mowing the grass, you could always get a tee time (and probably a beer).

When George and Betty Jo had both retired for (almost) good, they started what would be the last chapter in their lives together: they purchased an RV.  As with the boat, the camper and the house, they started with a medium sized model then upgraded to the "mother ship" as their needs matured.  They were able to travel south to escape the cold Minnesota winters, visit many friends and relatives who were retired or "wintering" in different parts of the county, and make even more best friends along the way.  They particularly enjoyed meeting up with their Sunnybrook travel group.

George had a genuine love of people and was open and accepting of everyone.  He was honest about his opinions, open to discussing all topics, and very respectful of others.  George loved his kids and took pride in everything they did.  He considered his grandchildren to be his finest accomplishments.  George had an adventurous spirit, but he always put friends and family first.  If you had met George you were considered a friend, regardless of whether he could remember your name or not.  He remained strongly connected with his nieces and nephews on both the Leyda and Burton sides of our family.  He enjoyed discussing Leyda family heritage and participating in family reunions.  Finally, George adored Betty Jo with all his heart.  She was his soul mate and he always considered his life on earth complete only with her by his side.

We will miss you "Grampa George", "Uncle Butch", "Georgie-O", "Leyda" and "Dad".  Your legacy and love lives on in each of us, for which we are forever grateful.