Leonard D. Zylla

Mass of Christian Burial celebrating the life of Leonard D. Zylla, 97, of St. Cloud will be at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 1, 2014 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in St. Cloud. Len passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at the VA Medical Center in St. Cloud. Reverend Thomas Knoblach will officiate. Entombment with military honors will be in Assumption Cemetery Mausoleum, St. Cloud.
Family and friends may call between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Friday at the Daniel Funeral Home in St. Cloud and after 9:00 a.m. on Saturday at the church. Parish prayers will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Friday at the funeral home.
Len was born on October 15, 1916 in Long Prairie, Minnesota to the late Joseph and Lottie (Gapinski) Zylla. He graduated from St. John Cantius Grade School, Cathedral High School, Kansas City Electronics School (while serving as a member of the US Army) and Northwestern Radio & Television School in St. Paul.
He married Gertrude Siegmund on June 30, 1941 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud where they raised their family: Mary Lou, Barbara, Robert, Kenneth, Patricia, Stephen, Len, Timothy, Janice and Tony. He is survived by his children; 27 grandchildren; 32 great grandchildren; and brothers, Joseph, James and Phillip.
From late 1942 to December 1945, Len was a member of the 565th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion, mostly in the Asian/Pacific Theater, in particular, Sausapor, New Guinea, operating the newest invention in electronics, high radio frequency signal (radar). After WWII, he owned and operated Zylla Radio & TV repair until retirement in 1978.
An avid golfer, he co-founded/designed the Wapicada Golf Course. With golfing buddies Ron Baert, Bill Bard, Jerry Schaefer, and Al Vogt many a day was spent chasing a white ball on the green grass. In his later years, Len’s other passion was a devoted “Prayer Warrior” (praying for vocations, the sick, our country, etc.), doing Sudoku and playing-in consecutive order-11,875 computer Free Cell games.
He was a member of St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. John Cantius Parishes, Serra Club, the Knights of Columbus Council #961, Crosier Apostolate, Veterans of Foreign Wars Granite Post #428 and the St. Cloud Eagles Aerie 622.
Len was preceded in death by his wife, Gertrude in 2002; and siblings, Florence, Anne, Anthony, Frank, John, Jerry, Clarence, and Fr. Robert OSC.
Special thanks to Jason, Brad and the staff at Wapicada for an “Old golfer never dies….He just putters away.”
Memorials to charity of your choice.