Douglas 'Doug' Leger

Douglas "Doug" Leger, age 70, of Ortonville, MN, went to be pain-free in Jesus’ arms on Sunday, September 17, 2023, after a challenging few months with his health.

Memorial services will be held on Friday, September 22, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at Abiding Faith Lutheran Church in Ortonville. Visitation will be held on Thursday, September 21, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the church with a prayer service beginning at 6:00 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday. Reverend Richard Larson will officiate the service and inurnment will be at Mound Cemetery in Ortonville.

The service will be livestreamed and recorded and will be viewable at the bottom of this page.

Douglas Allen Leger was born on May 17, 1953, to Russell and Gertrude Leger in Ortonville, MN. Doug was baptized and confirmed at Saint John’s Catholic Church in Ortonville, MN. He graduated from Ortonville High School in 1972. He was married to Dawn Block on May 31, 1980, in Correll, MN, on the Block family farm. To this union, they were blessed with one daughter, Carmen. Doug and Dawn attended Abiding Faith Free Lutheran Church where he was active in reading scripture on Sundays, ushering, and narrating for the choir.

Doug loved music and had an amazing speaking voice, which led him to be a radio DJ after High School for KDIO radio and later on for KMSD. He enjoyed his time playing bass guitar and performing in several bands including Sandstone, The Wrangler Band, and probably the most familiar, Token. Doug could tell you the most obscure musical facts about bands and song titles and would often reminisce about his performance days when driving by venues later in life.

Aside from his time in music, Doug worked a variety of other jobs throughout his life including several years at United Hardware and then, probably his favorite job was a janitor at Big Stone Public School where he made connections with all who worked there. He loved talking to the students and encouraging and getting to know them.

Doug enjoyed the family cabin on Big Stone Lake which he and Dawn owned for roughly 25 years. You could often find him sitting around the campfire visiting with friends or fishing out in the boat or on the dock.

One of the greatest joys in his life was being a grandpa to Josef and Evelyn. He loved them with all his heart and gave them hugs and snuggled them any chance he could. He would take Josef fishing whenever he asked and could never say no to pushing Evie on the swing. Whenever they needed a few quarters to get a treat they knew to go right to Grandpa! Grandpa reminded the grandkids to pray before meals saying that “the food tastes better after you pray.”

He loved to travel and one of his goals after retirement was to visit all 50 states, which he did with his good friend, Lucky. He was proud to have met that goal with his last trip being a cruise to Hawaii in January 2023.

Douglas Leger is survived by his wife of 43 years, Dawn Leger of Ortonville, MN; daughter, Carmen (Peter) Zupfer of Ortonville, MN; two grandchildren: Josef and Evelyn Zupfer; siblings: Linda Leger of Townsend, MT; Tom (Anita) Leger of Montevideo, MN; Michelle Wester of Elk River, MN; Jim (Annette) Leger of Andover, MN; and Dave (Terri) Leger of Lillian, AL; along with many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Russell Leger and Gertrude (Wenner) Leger; parents-in-law, Marvin Block and Joan (Beachem) Block; and brother-in-law, Mark Block.