Leland Liibbe, 86, of West Point, died Thursday, August 14, 2008 at Colonial Haven Nursing Home in Beemer. Services will be 10:30 am. Tuesday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in West Point with Reverend David List officiating. Burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitation will be 9:00 am. until 8:00 pm. Monday at Stokely Funeral Home with family receiving friends 6:00 pm. until 8:00 pm. Memorials may be made to St. John’s Lutheran Church in Beemer or St. Paul Lutheran Church in West Point. Those wishing to leave on line condolences may do so at www.stokelyfuneralhome.com. Leland was born February 7, 1922 at Beemer to August and Anna Stark Liibbe. He attended District 28 and St. Paul Lutheran Schools, graduating with the class of 1940 from West Point High School. He attended College in Grinnell, IA. Leland served in the US Army from June of 1943 to February of 1946 and was stationed in Japan. On June 12, 1955, Leland married Mary Ann Fullner at St. John’s Lutheran Church rural Beemer. The couple lived most of their married life on Lincoln Street, in West Point. Leland worked as a sports reporter for the West Point Republican and the Cuming County Democrat and finally for the West Point News. A highlight of his career was covering “Dizzy Dean”, who hurled several pitches while playing for the West Point Town Team. Leland was in the Newspaper business over 60 years, reporting sports, setting type on a Linotype and all manner of printing machines. Leland was a member of St. John Lutheran Church at Beemer, was a charter member of St. Paul Lutheran Layman’s League and was the editor of the Lutheran Layman League’s newspaper. He was an avid sports fan, especially baseball and Nebraska football. He enjoyed bowling in the winter months and throwing horse shoes in the summer. In 1998 he threw out the first pitch at the Cuming County Fair in recognition of 50 consecutive years of fair attendance. Survivors include his wife, Mary Ann of Beemer, daughters Janet (Greg) Young of Sioux City, IA, Rita (Don) Shirley of Littleton, CO, Lois (Jeff) Johnson of Underwood, IA, and Karen (Mark) Lofink of Orange, CA, son Allen (Marie) Liibbe of Kearney, sisters Vi Wagner and Irene Rozendal both of West Point, and 12 grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, daughters Nancy and Doris Liibbe and sister Ruth Raabe.