Welcome to a collection of stories, pictures, audio recordings and anything else that might help me remember all of the memories I have with my Grandpa Wayne. He lived such a full, amazing life that it would take a true book to really capture it all. I just wanted to take some time to document the parts of his life where he either had a direct impact on me and our relationship or things about him have made lasting memories. This short documentary is a peek into my own personal experiences with Wayne Edward Leverkuhn and writing this has been part of my grieving journey. It has also given me time to do some processing of my own feelings and thoughts. I hope that my own recording of these things will be a blessing to my children and grandchildren who would like to hear more about my grandpa someday too. If you knew Wayne, then I hope this is a blessing in some way to you as well.

The earliest memory I can recall about my Grandpa Wayne is running around the house he and Grandma owned in Pennsylvania. Our family flew from Minnesota to see them for Christmas a couple times. Grandpa had this big bowl of nuts in their shells down in the den by the tv. There were all different kinds and he had a metal nutcracker that you had to use to get at the good parts inside. As a little kid, I loved the experience of cracking them open and tasting what was inside. Honestly, I don’t remember loving the flavor of them all that much, but it was fun to work for the food in a way that was very unique.

Grandpa and Grandma bought a little old lakehouse on Knife Lake just north of Mora, MN (where I grew up). I was pretty young when they did that, but I have memories all over that place. When I was in kindergarten (or maybe even before that), I was learning how to tie my shoes and I just gotten ones with laces that summer. I remember Grandpa asking me how it was going and he got down on the floor of the kitchen in that old lakehouse and helped me work on my shoelace tying for a bit. I don’t know if that was what helped me figure it out, but I remember having success that day and he was really proud of me.

Within a few years, Knife Lake was overrun by a type of fish called Carp. They are nasty things and destroy all of the areas where the other fish are laying their eggs. Plus they make a huge mess of a lake. The DNR and local officials decided to drain the lake to kill off all of the fish, which eliminated the Carp too. During that time, Grandpa took a couple of us to an island really close to his cabin’s dock. The water was so low that we were able to walk on the bottom of the lake to the island! It was a really cool experience as we explored and had an adventure together.

It was during these elementary years of my life when I wanted to design airplanes and rockets like my Uncle Keith and be an aerospace engineer. God had other plans! I’ve always been incredibly interested in flight and grandpa knew that about me. His little blue fishing boat sat on its trailer next to our garage for awhile and my brother and I would play in it. Grandpa wrote and illustrated a short book for me during those years. The synopsis of the book is simply a young boy who jumps into his grandpa’s boat and it becomes a rocketship that takes him on an adventure into space. I can’t remember all of the details (and I wish I knew where it was!), but I can see the drawings in my mind and how much I loved reading something my grandpa made especially for me. 

When I was nearing the end of middle school, we went to visit them at their house in Katy, TX. It’s kind of funny that now (as of 2024), I live and work just up the road from there!

They had an awesome house and fantastic backyard with a good-size pool and diving board! We had so many good times playing in the pool with cousins and aunts/uncles. We often took time to go down to Galveston and swim in the Gulf too. Relatives would bring go-karts to drive around the beach and we always played lots of games and had family time. I’m so glad that grandpa and grandma invested time and energy to bring us all together to connect and make memories! Within the past few days of writing this blog, my boys wanted to get out the old memory boxes and have Emily and me tell them stories. I have some things I wrote as an elementary schooler, which are very entertaining to read, and it’s quite obvious that I enjoyed my visits to Texas. Many of the writings I have include a desire and/or hope to go to Texas or the characters I created ended up there. Long before I married a native Texan and later moved to Texas, I had many wonderful experiences there and grandpa was a big part of that.

Sometimes I tell people that I was raised in Minnesota, but I had a Texan grandpa chirping in my ear about how things were “really done.” Grandma would make enchiladas (not something Scandinavians often made in central Minnesota in the 80s!) and Grandpa would make his famous homemade chili. He would say things like, “Seth, we don’t put beans in our chili. That’s not the Texas way. During the Civil War, who controlled the beef industry? Texas. Who needed to put bean-filler into their chili? The Northerners. We’ve always done it the right way and we continue to do it that way.” He was very proud of his Texas heritage and he didn’t want his grandson in Minnesota to grow up without some of it too! After I learned the art of a slow-smoke Texas brisket from Emily’s Uncle Ferrell, grandpa was pretty proud too.

When I was a senior in high school, Grandpa and Grandma decided to buy a new lakehouse in the Mora area. This one was south of the town on a private lake called Devil’s Lake. It is in Kanabec County of Minnesota and it’s only 58 acres. Not a huge lake, but perfect for their use. And it was quiet! That was until some young guy started whipping around the lake on his jetski. Grandpa was quite upset about that guy ruining the calm and peace of their private lake. He told me about some (not very loving nor legal) ideas he had about how to end the jetski situation. Thankfully, that went away on its own! 

When I went to see the house (maybe before they bought it?) with them, Grandpa told me that he was negotiating a good deal on it because someone had been murdered in the house. He even showed me where it happened. I guess the guy had been into drugs and other illegal things?? I don’t think Grandma liked that Grandpa shared that bit of info, but he got a kick out of the unique situation of the house. I remember after they bought it, I helped him figure out all of the different light switches, fence security and odd things the previous owner had installed. It was quite the experience and we had fun exploring! 

The large garage was an L-shape and the additional part of the garage was somewhat like an extra bedroom with a window that faced the lake. It was there that Grandpa had a table and all of his audio recording gear. For over 20 years, Grandpa quietly served the blind in Minnesota by recording books on tape long before Audible was a thing. It was a volunteer position and he was one of the few that could read advanced math and engineering textbooks so that blind folks could learn and earn their degrees. He spent countless hours providing that service which helped many. I was always super proud knowing that Grandpa loved others so much that he’d do that to make sure others had what they needed to learn. We didn’t talk about it much, but he ended his life mostly blind because of macular degeneration. I wonder how often it made him think about the people he served for so long.

In the summer of 2000, in the lake house garage, Grandpa helped me install upgraded Pioneer speakers into my Ford Escort station wagon.

We had so many other awesome experiences at the Devil’s Lake House. It would be difficult to name them all. Although, one experience would remain very near the top…

In the summer of 2005, I brought a Texan girl up to the house and I think Grandpa was very excited to talk about all things Texas with this beautiful young lady! Emily grew up in Austin, TX and they hit it off right away. We drank beer and played dominoes (the four of us) quite often when we lived in Minnesota from 2005-08. During that first visit, when Emily told Grandpa her own Grandfather’s name, Edmund Frank, he almost jumped out of his seat. After he confirmed that her grandfather had started the Lutheran Student Ministry at University of Texas, he said, “Hang on, I’ll be right back.” That’s when I thought, “Oh no, our Texas genealogies are going to cross and we’ll end up being related!” 

Thankfully, that fear was alleviated quickly when Grandpa returned with a picture of himself and Emily’s Grandfather side-by-side in the front row of a picture in Washington, D.C. Grandpa had left Texas A&M for a special trip with a bunch of guys from UT to attend a men’s faith conference. It was an amazing moment for Emily to hear some stories about her grandfather who had passed away when Emily’s mom was only 2-years-old. It’s incredible how God does these things!

It was also at the lake house where I told Emily I loved her for the first time. The lake house was where our first dog, Addie, learned how to swim. I’m so thankful for those years.

When Grandpa and Grandma were making plans to drive down from the lake house to Austin, TX for our wedding, three of my friends were looking for a way to there. Amazingly, they agreed to give three random college kids a ride from MN to TX for a wedding! They were always up for an adventure or doing something kind for someone else. And after the wedding, Grandpa hit the dance floor as hard as I would expect any grandpa of mine to do it! Just check this out … go Grandpa!

It was during those same years in Minnesota, that I worked as a Called Lutheran School Teacher at Trinity Lone Oak (“TLO”) Lutheran in Eagan, MN. I taught there from Aug 2004 – May 2008. In another crazy family-connection moment, Grandpa told me that when he moved his family from Houston to Minnesota in 1963, he and Grandma decided to send my mom and her siblings to school at TLO. Grandpa had bought a house in Inver Grove Heights and decided to join TLO’s school as well as become church members. 41 years later, his grandson would become the 5th grade homeroom teacher and K-8 music teacher there! Verifiable sources have confirmed that in the late 60s, during the start of the “Jesus Movement” of contemporary music in California and beyond, the president of TLO’s congregation (Grandpa) got up in a meeting in the sanctuary and adamantly exclaimed that there would “never be guitars in this church!” He must have made quite the impression, because 41 years later when contemporary/modern worship was quite the norm, TLO still did not have anything like it. But, I would be told this story because of something I chose to do on the first Sunday I ever had my students sing in worship. I had the children stand up and instead of using a piano to accompany, I brought my guitar and amp into the sanctuary and plugged in. I didn’t know the expectations and no one had warned me, but the kids did great and I received a lot of encouragement from the congregation afterward. Sometimes, you just have to try something new! 

A couple years later, Emily and I (along with some friends) began a modern worship service twice a month on Saturday evenings in the TLO gym. We called it Praise Haven. It was a wonderful time of worship and community and we learned a lot about starting new ministries through that experience.

Grandpa was a hard and fast Traditionalist when it came to worship styles, but over the years he began to appreciate the various options of music and song. He said that he was probably a little too harsh in his younger years and now he just wanted every person everywhere to have an opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus and worship as they feel called. His heart toward Jesus’ love and hospitality to others grew and grew as he aged. It probably also helped that 7 out of his 8 grandchildren played instruments, sang or led modern worship services for many years and still do! He was very proud of us and told us often. 

I remember when I was invited into the initial beta-testing of Google’s new email product called Gmall way back in 2005. After I signed up, I had a number of invites that I could send to others, so they could try it. Grandpa was in the tech/software industry way back in the 60s, so he always enjoyed staying up on the latest trends. So, he would often ask me about what was new or we’d talk about tech things. If he got stuck, I’d help him with a printer or some software issue. I remember when I showed him Gmail and he thought that was so awesome and jumped right into it! I always enjoyed our conversations about those types of things. And I often chuckled when he would talk about it like he knew all the answers and 100% didn’t know them. Haha! He talked a big game, though. 😉

Grandpa and I went golfing a bunch of times between my high school years, college and early adulthood in Minnesota. He wasn’t very good, but it was just the time together that mattered. For those reading who have seen the movie Caddyshack … do you remember the Judge kicking the ball into the fairway and saying, “Winter rules!”? Well, Grandpa had a habit of doing that and not giving any qualification or defense. He just improved his ball lie. And as the grandson … I just smiled and let him do it.

The years we lived in California, where the boys were born, we didn’t see them as much as when we just lived an hour away. They came out to the baptisms, which was so wonderful! As Emily worked on the slideshow of pictures and memories for Grandpa’s memorial, I began to realize that Grandpa and Grandma made a huge effort to be at their children’s and grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s important life moments. There are so many pictures of them at graduations, concerts, baptisms, big games, award ceremonies, weddings and so much more. They really wanted to be connected and it always showed!

Emily and I moved our little family to Texas in January 2015. In 2017, Grandpa and Grandma moved back to Texas permanently too. And to the same big city, Houston! Despite both being near H-Town, we still lived an hour away. But, it felt more like those years back in Minnesota when we were first married and going to the lake house. We were able to be at more events and dinners together on a regular basis. Plus, I was so happy that my boys got to know their “Big Pa” (Great-Grandpa) so well. They attended birthday parties and Grandpa was able to come to one of the boys’ “Donuts with Dads and Granddads” at their preschool. I love that we have videos of him crawling on the kitchen floor chasing Will when he was little or running around our house in California to play with him. He even agreed to participate in Easter cascarones and get them smashed all over his head!

Our little boys loved doing that with their Big Pa. I don’t know many great-grandpas who are that willing and interested to interact with the little ones. I love that about him.

Not long after they moved back to the Houston area, Grandpa wanted to get involved with the musical groups that met at their 55+ community center. He’s always been involved with music and his love of it always shined through! So, one day he randomly called me up and asked what type of ukelele he should buy! Ukelele?!?! Yep, at 80+ years old, he was going to learn how to play ukelele and join the ukelele ensemble at his senior community. I love it! So, we chatted and figured out a good option and he decided to jump in. We even got to attend a few of his concerts where he not only played, but acted and sang too! It was so awesome seeing him do something he loved to do. I hope I have the same zest and excitement to perform, connect and learn into my 80s as well!

Speaking of music, my mom said that Grandpa and Grandma would play records all the time at home and they really enjoyed having music in the house. I’ve always had music around me. I kind of feel weird if there isn’t any. In our house and in the car, we’ve usually got something playing and the boys love music too! So, it was very special when our family was asked about inheriting Grandpa’s record collection. I didn’t have a record player, so Emily and I were hesitant to say “yes,” but Will was very excited about the idea. He quickly jumped on it and said he’d take them even though he didn’t have a record player. But, our family got one for Christmas! Now, we’re enjoying listening to the exact same records in our house that Grandpa listened to in his house. It’s a true joy to share in those memories of wonderful music together. I’m sure he’d be beaming with a huge smile thinking about his great-grandson sharing this same music with his own children someday.

Going back a bit to the years of 2017-2023… those six years afforded us so many opportunities to spend time together, because we both lived in the Houston area. Grandpa was able to watch two of his great-grandsons grow up from little dudes into much bigger dudes on a regular basis and I’m so thankful they both got to know him so well. We spent many hours over those years around the same table we ate at in the lakehouse on Devil’s Lake years before the boys were born. We shared many meals and I would help Grandpa grill sometimes. He loved to grill meat on his Weber! Over the course of those years, I began to ask more questions about his life and his life with Grandma. I wanted to know more stories and I recorded the audio of a few of them as we sat around their table.

During the summer of 2023, Grandpa was battling lung cancer and he and Grandma decided it was time to move out of their 55+ community in Pearland, TX (south of Houston) and move to a senior living complex (north of Houston) that could offer additional care, food options and support as they needed it. It was definitely a difficult decision to leave good friends, neighbors and fully independent living in a good sized, 2-bedroom condo. 

Their new place was 1-bedroom with a much smaller living area, no garage, and significantly less storage. One day, during the process, Grandpa asked me to help him clean out the toolbox I remember reaching into as a younger man. I imagined myself going through my own toolbox full of things I had used for decades to build and fix things for my family and what that must have been like for him to give so much up. It had to be done, and since his eyes were really failing him, he needed some assistance. I was happy he asked me. He was able to tell me some stories about random things he found in the toolbox or the drawers in the garage storage area. I enjoyed soaking in his reminiscing as he parted with many things with either a, “Oh wait. I want that!” or “Nah! Throw it out.” He’d usually ask me if I wanted it first, though. I got a big bag of things I added to my workshop in the garage that I’ll probably hang onto for 50 more years and do the same thing with my grandson. 🙂 His grandpa and his dad passed onto him a heavy, very solid chisel that has definitely seen lots of use for a few generations. He also had his dad’s hand lathe that’s in excellent condition. He asked if I’d like to continue owning those family tools and I was honored to do so. I’m glad he didn’t have to clean out those things by himself. I’m so happy I was there to hear the stories, chat about when/how he used some of those things and help him make the next life transition.

Ever since I can remember, Grandpa has told stories about our family heritage, generational history, where we came from, what our family did, etc. He had so many amazing documents as well. My great-great-great grandfather came to Galveston, TX to be a Lutheran school teacher there and later was drafted into the Confederate Army during  the US Civil War. He was shot in the head, but survived fully! We even have his discharge papers from the Confederate Government. I always liked hearing these things. Knowing where you come from and the family stories give a sense of grounding and encouragement to young people. I’m glad Grandpa never stopped telling them.

About 4 months before that, I was taking a class on Family Systems and Counseling during my seminary studies at Fuller. We focused on a tool used to help families called the Genogram. I won’t get into what it is or how it’s used, but it afforded me a chance to call up Grandpa (as well a number of other relatives) and ask questions I might not have normally asked in regular conversation. We spent 2+ hours just digging into relationships, family dynamics, history, struggles, successes, etc. It was fascinating and I learned so much about him and my family in just 2 hours! He said he told me things he hadn’t told anyone in years and years. I guess that’s the hope with a tool used for processing and counseling: you would open up and honestly reflect upon your life and family. I will treasure that conversation for the rest of my life.  

In October 2023, Grandpa had his second major hospitalization since the cancer treatments. He technically beat the lung cancer, but the treatments left his lungs and other organs damaged in the wake. There was no family other than me around that evening when Grandma called 911. It was a Friday night at 10:15pm and I was about to get into bed when my dad called me and told me what was going on. He asked if there was any way I could go over there and be with Grandma. I said, “Of course” without any hesitation. I got over there in about 30min and spent the next 4 hours with her. We talked about Grandpa, prayed together and talked about family and memories. Around midnight we were both pretty hungry and the hospital didn’t have any food service, so I went out to get us a “Walgreens Feast” because it was really the only thing open around the hospital. We ate and talked and kept Grandpa company. He never regained consciousness during those 4 hours, because we’re pretty sure he had a reaction to a medication and his body had to process it out. But, I’m glad I was there for Grandma. That visit really was the beginning of his much steeper decline, as I look back on it.

Thanksgiving 2023 was such a blessing! Grandpa was out of the hospital and actually getting around more on his own. It was amazing! Plus, the fact that a bunch of cousins, spouses and kids were able to come from around the country was an incredible treat. I know he loved that to the deepest part of his soul! I was a little worried he was pushing himself too far, but just watching him soak up the time with Grandchildren and Great-grandchildren was such a joy. 

January 2024 saw him back in the hospital again, because his lungs kept filling up with fluid and made it hard to breathe. Then he began to rely more on an oxygen tank to keep his own levels up as well. Emily and I (and sometimes our boys) began trying to see him most weekends. I just wanted to spend as much time as I could with him.

While in the hospital, his brother-in-law (my great uncle), Ed Moerbe passed away and Emily and I went to be with Grandpa and Grandma to watch the memorial service online from the hospital. Before the service, Grandma was just making some conversation and asked Grandpa what he’d like to have for his memorial if he could plan it. He brushed it off and said that it really didn’t matter and he didn’t want to ever think about that. It was a quite brusque answer, so we moved on. I wondered what that was about.

We watched Ed’s memorial and it was beautiful and so Christ-centered.

Afterward, Grandpa began offering things like, “If I planned my memorial, I would want it centered around Psalm 46. Because that’s the psalm the Lord gave to me when I found out I had cancer and it helped me all the way through. Be STILL and KNOW that I am God.” I just listened, but also pulled my phone out and started taking some notes, just in case I would be called upon to remember these things. He also talked about how he loved the song, “I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry.” It is rich in baptismal themes and Grandpa loved that part of it. Being a baptized child of God was who he believed himself to be. That was his identity and it was so strong! 

During the last couple months of his life, he was very vocal about his faith and his love for Jesus and his hope that others would believe as well. Jesus was constantly on his mind and he didn’t just keep it to himself, he spoke continually about the gift of eternal life and his safety in God’s arms. I want to be that bold with my love for Jesus throughout my entire life. He really set an example for me. I’m so thankful that he was my grandpa.

Emily and I visited their apartment almost every weekend the first couple months of 2024 after he decided to go home for hospice care. It bothers me somewhat that most of us begin to show so much more attention and care for those we love when we realize their days on this side of Heaven are coming to a close. I really feel like we spent some quality time with Grandpa over the past 8 years that we’ve lived in the Houston area together, but I wish I would’ve had more. 

He really kept his drive to improve and grow up until the end. Just 6 days before he passed away, the swelling in his legs had gone down considerably. He was on the max output that his in-home electric oxygen machine could deliver and despite that, he was on a mission. He told me, “This week I’m gonna grab that portable oxygen tank and I’m gonna walk to the end of the hall outside and walk back all by myself!” He said it with the same determination and confidence that he said most things in his life (even when he was wrong … haha!). If you knew Grandpa, he was “always right” in his own mind and he let us know … until he found out he wasn’t. And then sometimes he was still right! Whether you like it or not, that strong, bull-headed, German attitude served him well in many ways. I saw that edge soften quite a bit as he was faced with mortality and humbly received care when he couldn’t do things for himself. A gentleness began to appear and a tenderness. He never made it out to the hallway to give it one last shot, but he wanted us all to know he still had plans and goals!

One time, during those weeks in early 2024, he had ears in his eyes and got a little choked up. Grandma and Emily were in the other room doing something and the boys were at home. Grandpa leaned over to me and squeaked out, “That woman over there. She is my everything. I love her so much and I’m so incredibly thankful for her. I couldn’t do this without her.” He really loved my grandma and those tough times toward the end solidified that love and support they had for one another. 

That same love and tenderness began to crack open a strong German’s heart, because he told me that he had been waiting for a call to come in that day, so he could ask for forgiveness from someone for something that happened years before. He wanted to reconcile and heal the relationship, before he lost the opportunity. What peace and hope he offered in Christ. Jesus never stopped working in him.

In the midst of tears, physical struggles, discussion of funeral planning, oxygen tanks and cords and tubes everywhere, Grandpa kept his humor as well. There had been a couple visits where we had to help Grandma get him out of his recliner and into a wheelchair and down the hall to go to the bathroom. It was a huge ordeal! I have no idea how they did that during the week with just the two of them. But on this occasion, just a week before he passed away, he got up by himself and scooted down the hallway all by himself with his walker! I was blown away! As he was crossing the threshold of the bathroom, I yelled from the kitchen, “Go, Grandpa, GO!” Just wanted to cheer him on a bit and without missing a beat, he yelled back, “No! Not yet!!” HAHA! 

Grandpa is buried at Trinity Downtown Lutheran’s own cemetery. I found out that one of my distant relatives was the steward of the cemetery for many years. Currently my grandpa, great-grandpa, great-great-grandpa and great-great-great grandpa are all buried there along with other children, spouses and siblings. My 3x Great Grandpa was in the Civil War and also helped found Trinity Lutheran Downtown many years ago!

It was a rainy, but very memorable day spending time in the cemetery with Grandpa in 2019 and hearing all of the stories about our family and our long history in Houston and Texas overall. Grandpa was always excited to talk about where we had come from and what God had done in and through our family. I’m thankful he was so passionate about that. Hearing the stories over and over will help me remember them and treasure them!

It was in that cemetery (5 years later) that I would lead worship for his burial service we had a month or so before the memorial service at Trinity. Then after the memorial service, our whole family went back to the cemetery and I was able to share some of the stories Grandpa shared with us back in 2019. My big family interview with Grandpa in April of 2023 came in handy when relatives began asking questions about all of the family members buried there. It was an honor to tell them stories about their relatives that Grandpa had shared with me only because I had been prompted by a project for school. 

It was also in that cemetery that Grandpa’s 8 grandchildren were all in the same place for the 3rd time in 20 years or so. It seems that at every big gathering there’s at least 1 of us missing or leaves early before another one arrives. We have 3 pictures now: one is the 8 of us on Grandpa and Grandma’s couch at the Devil’s Lake House in the very early 2000s, the second is in 2014 at our cousin Emily’s wedding and the third happened in the cemetery after the memorial. I love my 6 cousins and my brother so dearly. They are incredibly special to me and Grandpa is in large part why we’re all here and have each other. I have many stories about them, but this is about Grandpa.

Grandpa was born in Houston and baptized at Trinity Downtown. I was able to take a picture after his memorial alongside the exact baptismal font where he was baptized as a baby. My mom and siblings were baptized in that church as well.

Grandpa grew up on Leverkuhn St., about 2 miles west of downtown Houston and just down the road from the church. We had 10 acres of family land there many years before and so the road was named for the family as well. My Uncle Keith was the only son to carry on the Leverkuhn name and he recently took a picture with his two sons, Jon and Stephen, under the Leverkuhn St. sign.

I still think it’s pretty cool that my family has a street named after it in one of the biggest cities in America. Not to mention the fact that my own grandpa grew up on that street bearing his own name!

I really don’t have a solid way to end this brain dump of memories, because I keep thinking that I’m missing something or that there is a big exclamation point to put on it with a mic-drop type story.

But the reality is that it’s not done.

Grandpa’s life continues. 
He went from life on Earth to life in Heaven. 
Life to LIFE! 
Eternal life.
And I look forward to sharing it with him one day and hugging him again!

And the truth is that his story continues in us.

As we keep telling our family stories and living into the truths and faith he proclaimed, we extend the story.

When we tell our children, his great-grandchildren, about him, they carry his story with them and it impacts them each in their own way.

I love you, Grandpa!

My wife, Emily, created a 17 minute slideshow of pictures from his life. You can watch it HERE.