Leons V. Liepa
90, Indianapolis, passed away on January 7, 2022. He was born December 9, 1931, in Eglaine, Latvia, to Vincents and Juzefa Liepa. His family fled the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1944 and lived in refugee camps in Germany until 1949. The family initially settled in Mississippi where he finished high school, and moved to Kalamazoo, MI in 1950. Leons earned engineering degrees from Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan. He became a US citizen in 1954 and was a commissioned officer in the US Army Reserve. Leons worked as an electrical engineer at Bendix Corporation in South Bend, IN and Ann Arbor, MI for 17 years. He then worked at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, MI, retiring in 1997 after nearly 25 years of service.

Leons married Vija (Odeiko) on December 27, 1958, at Ss Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. They initially lived in Mishawaka, IN, then moved to southeastern Michigan where they raised their four children. They lived in Ann Arbor for almost 40 years where they were members of St Thomas the Apostle parish. After retirement, they moved to Avon, IN to be closer to family and were members of St Malachy parish.

Leons was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He valued family and kept in contact with immediate and extended relatives wherever they lived. He was an avid photographer, documenting all events and trips and he enjoyed gardening and landscaping. Leons was proud of his Latvian heritage and was active in leadership of several organizations, including Dzintars (Latvian Catholic fraternity) and the American Latvian Catholic Association. He advocated for the Catholic church in Latvia while under Soviet rule. He enjoyed traveling, including business trips to Japan for Ford, pilgrimages to Europe and the Holy Land, return visits to Latvia, vacations to Hawaii, Florida, and Arizona, and the annual family vacation to northern Michigan.

Survivors include his wife Vija Liepa; son Mark (Inara) Liepa of Charlottesville, VA; daughters Andra Liepa of Indianapolis and Astra (Jerry) Bessler of Avon; brother Valdis (Austra) Liepa of Ann Arbor; grandsons Christopher Bessler of San Diego, CA and Andrew Bessler of Avon. He was preceded in death by his son Eric Liepa. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am on Thursday, January 13, 2022, at St Malachy Catholic Church, Brownsburg. Interment will be at Mt Olivet Cemetery in Kalamazoo at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St Meinrad www.saintmeinrad.org or Joy's House www.joyshouse.org