Leland "Lee" Bertsch, age 76, of Lake Upsilon, ND passed away on Monday, October 26, 2020 at his home.

Leland Thomas "Lee" Bertsch was the oldest of five children born to Thomas Bertsch and Lyla (Ellis) Bertsch on September 26, 1944 in Bottineau, ND.  He passed away at his home on October 26, 2020 at the age of 76 years old.  Lee attended school in Newburg, ND and graduated from Rolla High School in 1962.  Following graduation, Lee was inducted into the US Army and served in Korea from 1963 to 1967 when he was honorably discharged.  On January 20, 1968 Lee was united in marriage to his wife of 52 years, Colleen "Cooky" Kakela.  Together they raised two children, Nicole Dee and Thomas Wayne Bertsch.  Lee was employed at the William Langer Jewel Bearing Center in Rolla until he secured a job with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers building the ABM Missile Base near Nekoma, ND, where both he and Cooky were employed until the base was closed by the SALT Agreement the US entered into with the Soviet Union.  They returned to farming near Hansboro and built their home at Lake Upsilon, near St. John, ND where they remained until they retired in 2012.

Lee loved farming the land and continued to assist his son, Tom, who now operates the farm, with harvest operations and other farm projects until the time of his death.  Lee was proud to serve on the North Central Grain Board of Directors for several years, and enjoyed working with his fellow Veterans at the Rolla American Legion Post where he served as Commander as well as walleye chef at the Annual Fish Fry.  Although he enjoyed farming, he was happiest when he was hunting or fishing with his wife, children, and especially his granddaughters.  Weekly "crop checking" trips to the farm were also at the top of his favorite things to do.  During retirement, Lee and Cooky loved to travel to warmer climates during the winter and some of their favorite stops along the way were El Paso, TX, Orange Beach, AL, the Bahamas and several destinations in Mexico.  Lee will be lovingly missed by his family and the many people he loved to visit with, whether they were new or lifelong friends.  Husband, Father, Grandfather, Friend…We will miss you Greatly.  We love you Dad!

Lee is survived by his loving wife, Cooky; his daughter, Nicole Nel of El Paso, TX; his son, Thomas (Stephani) Bertsch of Lake Upsilon; three granddaughters, Abby Bertsch, Maren Nel, and Ava Bertsch; his mother, Lyla Bertsch of Rolla; and three sisters, Roxanne (Lowell) Huovinen of Cleburne, TX, Renae (Howard) Good of Rolla, and Cheryl (Curt) Bonn of Rolla.

Lee was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Bertsch, his brother, Cordell Bertsch, and infant daughter, Andrea Lee Bertsch.

Casket Bearers are Craig Disher, Wade Good, Donovan Bertsch, Stephen Currie, Kurt Disher, and Don Marsh.  Honorary Bearers are all family and friends.  Special music by Garrett Munro.  Military Honors by the Fred C. Wagner American Legion Post 235 of Rolla and the Military Funeral Honor Guard of Grand Forks, ND.

A visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Friday, October 30, 2020 at Elick Funeral Home, Rolla, ND.   Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, October 31, 2020 at 2:00 PM at the Presbyterian Church, Rolla, ND.  Dave Schnackenberg officiating.  Burial will follow in the Rolla City Cemetery, Rolla, ND.

*A livestream of the funeral service will be on the Rolla Presbyterian Church Facebook Page.*

*Masks will be required at the visitation and funeral service to protect family members and our community.*

Elick Funeral Home, Rolla, ND.