Memorials › Leslie J. Vraspir
Leslie J. Vraspir
18 Sep 1952 – 23 May 2014
| Birth | 18 Sep 1952 |
| Death | 23 May 2014 |
| Cemetery | Oak Dale Cemetery Naper , Boyd County , Nebraska , USA |
| Added by | Kimberly Davis on 18 Apr 2023 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/130385996 |
Bio
LESLIE VRASPIR September 18, 1952 - May 23, 2014 Funeral services for Leslie J. Vraspir, of Naper, Nebraska, are pending at Brockhaus Funeral Home, Spencer, Nebraska. Leslie died Friday, May 23, 2014, at Sanford Medical Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. ----- Eulogy written for Leslie Vraspir funeral and read at his graveside service. Well, Les as he preferred to be called none of us EVER called him Leslie as it somehow didnt seem to fit was a very quiet fellow, and was not a big conversationalist, unless the subject was old cars and carbuerators; only then you might get more than a sentence or two. Les had a quirky sense of humor, but he didnt show it very often. He probably showed his feelings more often to me, more than any of us here, and I always suspected it was because I reminded him of his sister, whom he talked about the most, of all his siblings. I KNOW he had a special place in his heart for Chelsea, as she was the only girl in the family, and he was especially proud of her ..sorta like a Father would be of his only daughter! I do recall that family occasions were very important to him, holidays like Easter, especially. I would ask if he had plans for the different holidays and going to Chelseas was his usual reply, although Im quite sure he kept in contact with his brothers as they would hunt deer together. Once being able to purchase hunting permits thru the Internet became possible, Les would come up to my office and ask me to go online and order his deer hunting permit, as he didnt have a computer. At coffee break times, when we all gathered twice a day at the parts counter, Les would usually just sit back and listen. I always felt that he was probably laughing inside, at all the crazy antics, stories and jokes wed pull on each other, but he never showed much of that emotion. One time however, we convinced him to bring one of his old cars to town and drive it thru the Pancake Days Parade. It was 2007 and the year that Butte High School celebrated its last big hurrah of a School Reunion; as Butte & Spencer/Naper were to officially consolidate as West Boyd the next year. The Parade was a tribute to cars of all ages & styles. So here comes Les with this old Ford, not a fancy, shined & waxed up car, but one in the midst of restoration; with primer paint as the only coat and the interior only partially finished, as all his cars were that way, works in progress! He was a Ford man and he was proud as a peacock to drive that Ford thru the parade and around town like all teenagers love to do. I think back now and that old Ford in its not quite put together condition reminded me so much of Les, as he never dressed fancy. He even grumbled about having to wear the shop uniform that the company provided for the mechanics. He DID wear the uniform, but I think if he wouldve had his way, a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt wouldve been his choice! He was sorta a mountain man just a very short one! He lived very frugally and had no need of any fancy comforts of home. He usually brought his lunch with him to work, leftovers from the previous nights supper. As most everyone knows, he suffered a heart attack at Butte Implement, while working on a baler with Steve Cassidy, one of our other mechanics. It was a day Ill never forget! Steve came running in yelling to call 911 and Ashley, our newest employee, who had only been working here 2 or 3 days at most, ran out to do CPR as she had the training and the most confidence to do CPR, with Steve helping her. Marcia & I called for the Ambulance and we called Wilma Audiss, Less aunt, for telephone numbers of his siblings. The EMTs came and loaded him up, doing mechanical CPR the entire time and away they went to ONeill and then on to Norfolk. The rest of the day was very stressful as we waited for news. The EMTs finally came back later that day and told Ashley that the ER doctors said Les wouldve died for sure, if she hadnt done the CPR as quickly and as steady & relentlessly as she did! Long story short, after all was said and done, Les underwent heart surgery and he survived but it was a struggle!! Once Les was outta the woods and the prognosis was positive, there came this Thank You basket of goodies to the Implement, courtesy of Less family. It was a big basket, full of snack crackers and bags of microwave popcorn and candy bars and all sorts of munchies. Ashley was unpacking the basket and then almost began to cry as she pulled out a roll of LIFESAVERS candy. I can still see the look on her face as she said the words Ohh, they sent LIFESAVERS . And whether or not they meant the Lifesavers as anything special, or if it was just a coincidence, well ..we just didnt question it it was like a message. Les did come back to work for us after going thru rehab and all that goes with it. He came to Ashley and thanked her for saving his life, but then he said Next time I have a heart attack, just let me die .. But Im sure if it happened again, wed do exactly like we did that day. Les worked for us awhile longer, until one day hed just had enough of the 9 to 5 grind and called it quits, saying he had old cars and motorcycles he wanted to tinker on at home. We never saw him much after that as he wasnt one to just stop in and visit. He came to town for groceries, but I think that was the extent of his trips to Butte. I recall the day that he found out that his deceased brother left him some inheritance money, and I asked him if he had big plans for it. Of course, the answer was No, not really .. Then when he had the heart attack and the huge medical bills afterward, he later told me that most of the inheritance money was spent paying for those bills. I said how sorry I was that he never got to enjoy the money in a fun way, like his brother probably intended, and in typical Les fashion he replied Well, it never really was my money anyway, so I guess I wont be sorry or mad about it being gone. You have to admire a man like that .easy come, easy go I always considered Les to be my friend, and Im sorry that hes passed on, but Im glad that hes at peace with his parents and grandparents and extended family.
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