Mr. LeRoy Steichen, father of Laura Berquist, entered his eternal rest on January 21, 2022, just under four months away from his 100th birthday. His wife Donna was at his side. The family requests prayers for the peaceful repose of his soul. 

In his birthplace of Minnesota, Mr. Steichen joined the National Guard after high school and from there joined the U.S. Army and served under General Patton in World War II. In his later home of Southern California, he and his wife watched their many descendants grow, and he contributed to the founding of Thomas Aquinas College. 

Yet when Mr. Steichen is lovingly spoken of by his family, it is for his lifelong faithfulness to his vocation rather than for any one particular achievement. A man who genuinely thought the best of everyone he encountered, he wholeheartedly lived out his particular vocation at every moment.

“The thing about my dad,” says Laura, “is that he lived his vocation, completely and totally, without any need to be great, or recognized. He was like St. Therese. He wasn’t trying to be a great saint as such. He was trying to live perfectly the vocation that God gave him.”

Laura described how both of her parents frequently went to daily Mass and regularly kept a Holy Hour on Fridays, even into their 90s. 

“My father loved God, his family, and his country, and all his life those were the things to which he ordered himself,” she says. “He was the kindest man one could ever know, generous beyond compare. He gave his life to his family and to his faith.”

A talented and competitive athlete, Mr. Steichen enjoyed many sports, including swimming, tennis, and even at one point semi-professional hockey. He regularly golfed up until his final illness at the age of 99. “He loved excellence in any field, and especially in sports,” reminisces Laura. “When he played, he played hard! Everything that he did, he did well and with intensity.” 

While playing sports, Mr. Steichen embodied values that extended to all areas of life and taught those around him by example. Grandson James Berquist, often a golf companion of his grandfather’s, reflects on the impact of the life lessons he learned from Mr. Steichen on the golf course. 

“You lived the life of the true sportsman,” writes James in a letter to his grandfather. “In observing you on the golf course, for instance, I (and my siblings and cousins) learned what it is to act in accordance with reason in trying circumstances. You adhered strictly to the rules, calling penalties on yourself even in circumstances where you might be able to rationalize away a little rule. I can recall numerous such moments, and they made a deep impression on me which I strive to this day to emulate. Through your living the life of the gentleman on the course, you inspired me (and us all) to live that life. You have been the best teacher of these things a man could hope for.”

Laura shares that her father consistently held himself to a daily exercise routine up until he became sick. “It’s like everything else about his life,” says Laura. “He just did it every day. If you are faithful and actually give yourself to what is in front of you and live that every day, that’s exactly what God wants.”

Mr. and Mrs. Steichen sent Laura to TAC to be part of the first graduating class, a brave leap of faith in a college that was brand new and had not yet stood the test of time. This dedication to God and the service of the truth also was evident in Mr. Steichen’s deep support of homeschooling and of Mother of Divine Grace School. 

“He had such integrity in everything that he did” says Laura, “and had an orientation to God and the truth first. That was very formative to me and my siblings.”

Laura shares that her father was one of her greatest role models, and that the example he showed to her by living out his daily vocation and seeking God and truth above all else played a role in the founding of MODG.

“My dad loved our work,” says Laura. “He thought it was the most important work in the world. He thought homeschooling in general, and our program in particular, was the hope of the world. He told me all the time that he thought we were going to save the world if it were going to be saved.”

Mr. LeRoy Steichen leaves behind his wife, Donna, four children including Laura, twenty-five grandchildren, twenty-one great-grandchildren, and a legacy that teaches that following the unique vocation God gives each one of us is the one truly important thing that one must do. 

“My dad was incarnational fidelity his whole life,” says Laura. “I was so glad I could say that to him. He ran the race, and he won the crown. There is no doubt in my mind. He will hear, ‘Welcome, my good and faithful servant.’”