Rev. Leonard Stockmeier, 87, was deeply devoted to his Savior and deeply appreciative of the Reformed confessions. He passed away on January 15 from congestive heart failure.
Stockmeier was born to a German farm family steeped in the Reformed faith and raised near Newton, Wisc. German was his boyhood language.
After graduating from Whitetrail Elementary School and Lincoln High School, he graduated from Mission House College in Plymouth, Wisc., in 1950.
Stockmeier began gospel ministry in 1950 in Cambellsport, Wisc., in a congregation affiliated with the Evangelical and Reformed Church. In l955, he moved to a Reformed Church (U.S.) congregation in Hosmer, S.D.
Rev. Leonard Stockmeier: May 11, 1925 – January 15, 2013
He was drawn to the Christian Reformed Church by listening to broadcasts of the Back to God Hour.
After completing a year at Calvin Theological Seminary, Stockmeier served five Christian Reformed congregations: Colton (S.D.) CRC; Calvin CRC, Sheboygan, Wisc.; Orangewood CRC , Phoenix, Ariz; Corsica (S.D.) CRC; and Prairie City (Iowa) CRC. He retired in l987.
During retirement, Stockmeier and his wife, Alice, continued to serve as representatives of the Back to God Hour. They traveled widely, and he worked for the National Bank of Arizona for 10 more years.
Stockmeier knew the Scriptures as the source of his faith, preaching, and pastoral practice. Deeply aware that he was addressing people about their eternal destiny, preaching was for him an awesome experience. He found in the Heidelberg Catechism a precious guide for his faith. The family still has a collector’s copy of the German version of the Heidelberger dated 1724 with a handwritten inscription on the front cover.
Stockmeier was known for a phenomenal memory that enhanced the quality of every part of his ministry. A man of broad interests, he studied and read widely. He and Alice made countless pastoral visits; their home was known for its warm hospitality. The sick and the elderly had their compassionate attention.
Stockmeier was buried near his people in St. John Ebenezer Reformed Cemetery in Newton.
Predeceased by his wife, Stockmeier is survived by his children Gail and Harvey Jansen, Craig Stockmeier and Grazyna Rajkowska, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
About the Author
The late Louis Tamminga (d. Nov. 11, 2024), a long-time pastor, leader, and administrator in the Christian Reformed Church, wrote the pastors' In Memoriam column for The Banner until 2015.
