Brink, Leonard Charles, Jr. Beloved husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend passed away on April 29, 2019, in Peoria, Arizona. He was 94. Mr. Brink, the son of farmers from the northern Minnesota town of Fosston, was born November 5, 1924, the first of three children of Leonard Charles and Lena Sveum Brink. He has one sister, Beverly Boeckman, of Seattle, WA, and was preceded in death by his parents, wife, and brother, Curtiss Brink. He was a graduate of the U.S. Navy's selective V-12 program, a college degree program instituted during WWII to quickly generate the large number of officers which the war would require for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The program took him from the farm to study at prestigious colleges and universities around the country, among them Columbia University in New York City, Princeton University, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Minnesota. Upon graduation, Charles was commissioned an ensign in the United States Navy and stationed in San Francisco, CA, on the battleship U.S.S. Massachusetts. Charles married Alvina Snobeck, of Gonvick, MN, on September 28, 1945. Upon decommissioning from the Navy after the war, they settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he became a fifth and sixth grade school teacher for the Minneapolis Public School System. There they had four children, and an active civic and social life centered around their church, the Minneapolis Gospel Tabernacle (now Christ's Church International), where he was a deacon for many years. Some of his proudest accomplishments included his involvement in the church's 1976 rebuilding program and helping to sponsor a Vietnamese boat family to a new life in Minneapolis and then a close personal friendship with that beautiful family. Charles and Alvina also traveled extensively, visiting Hawaii many times, going to Israel, taking a river cruise in France, and making trips to Scandinavia and Hong Kong. He retired from the Minneapolis Public School System after 31 years but never lost his love for teaching. A few former students stayed in touch with him over his lifetime, including some where he had taught both them and then their children as well. After retirement he commenced a second successful career as a realtor. Eventually the Brinks decided to relocate to a warmer climate and moved permanently to Surprise, AZ, in 1997. He is survived by his sister Beverly and his four children, Linda (Stan) Swisher, of Cushing, OK, Barbara (Lloyd) Kugler, of Surprise, AZ, Robert (Patrice) Brink of Landenberg, PA, and Karin (Marshall) Gardner, of Surprise, AZ, eight grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren. His beloved wife passed away in 2012. Charles will be remembered for his matchless kindness and gentle wit, his interest in current affairs and in expanding the borders of his world through reading and travel, his steadfast and sweet love for Alvina throughout their 65 years of marriage, his hard work and wise advice for his loved ones, and most importantly the ample evidence of Jesus' salvation in his life. He will be interred beside his wife at National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in a private ceremony. A memorial service will be held at Evangel Church, 10701 W. Boswell Blvd., Sun City, AZ, on June 1, 2019 at 11:30a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of the Valley (hov.org/donate/donate-now/).

Published on May 5, 2019